Dear Deacon John,
... I really like food!
If you've ever thought this – or struggled with fasting – then congratulations!You're normal!
I love food. I don't discriminate against any kind food and I'm willing to eat even when I'm not hungry. Fried food, carbs, saturated fat, sugar ... I pretty much like it all.
If you can relate, then you also know the reasons why God calls us to fast. You also know the power that fasting can have when we detach ourselves from this world to grow closer to Christ.
We have access to so much food and comfort today. We can eat and have our fill; but our culture is empty. We need to fast, perhaps now more than ever.
Fasting is one of the most powerful Biblical practices ... and it can help us detach our hearts and minds from ourselves and center our lives more on God.
Whether you are good at fasting, struggle with fasting, or have never fasted before, you will enjoy this new 40 Days for Life podcast episode on fasting.
We talk about the reasons for fasting … the role it plays in 40 Days for Life … and five simple things just about anyone can do to make fasting an element of your prayer life.
And don’t worry that it’s Day 28. We still have almost two weeks left! If you haven’t been fasting, you can always start today!
Ann Arbor, Michigan
It often takes teamwork to save a baby – and what a team sprang into action in Ann Arbor!
A right-to-life leader in Ann Arbor learned that a young woman who was 17 weeks pregnant had made an abortion appointment at the Planned Parenthood abortion center where 40 Days for Life volunteers pray.
One of the first things the leader did was to seek people who could pray – and that quickly led to a call to the 40 Days for Life coordinator, who spread the word among the volunteers outside the Planned Parenthood location where this woman was schedule to have the abortion.
She had also been given the young woman’s phone number … so she decided to reach out to her directly. But there was no response.
Every call? Unanswered.
Every voicemail? Unreturned.
So she started texting – the truth about abortion, the truth about Planned Parenthood … and the lifelong challenges she could face following an abortion.
Finally, she got a response.
The young woman said she’d read all the texts … but she had no choicebecause she just couldn’t make it financially as a single mother.
Thankfully, the right-to-life leader had a good answer to this … and to every other objection she raised.
After an hour of back-and-forth texting, the young woman finally agreed to think about it. But in less than 24 hours, she would be under anesthesia for ahigh-risk, $1,000 abortion at Planned Parenthood.
“We continued to pray,” said one of the 40 Days for Life volunteers, “and prepared to greet her on the sidewalk … letting her know she was loved and we would help her.”
Four hours before the scheduled abortion – at 3 am – the mother texted the right-to-life director. She would call Planned Parenthood when they opened and cancel the abortion.
She would keep her baby!
Just to be sure, a family member went to the sidewalk outside Planned Parenthood to pray – and confirm that she had chosen life.
She had!
“Unfortunately,” said one of the vigil participants, “the Ann Arbor Planned Parenthood was very busy that morning. But at least one young life was spared – and hopefully more!”
Here's today's devotional from Rev. Ben Sheldon, President Emeritus of Presbyterians Pro-life
Day 28 intention
We pray for the conversion of abortionists and all abortion advocates.
Scripture
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”
— Isaiah 1:16-17
Reflection from Rev. Ben Sheldon
God is just.
Inscribed around the inside of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, are the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”
If the deist, Jefferson, knew in the depths of his being that God is just, how much more ought we Christians to reflect on this profound truth?
The justice of God, like his holiness and his purity, encourages us to seek justice for all people. It is the evil deeds and wrong, selfish attitudes of our modern society that have led to the cavalier acceptance of abortion and euthanasia.
But, as Jefferson also said, “his justice will not sleep forever.”
God is calling us today to seek justice, to encourage the oppressed, and to defend the orphans and widows of our society.
It is a noble calling! It is one which every true believer, every God-fearing man and woman, should heed with no hesitation and no reluctance.
To follow the God of justice and truth is to stand unequivocally for the right to life of everyone, especially the unborn, the physically disabled, and the terminally ill.
God's word through the prophet Isaiah is as relevant in today's 21st century world as it was in Isaiah’s 8th century BC world. May God's grace help us to defend the unborn’s right to life as well as that of the already born.
Prayer
O God, our heavenly Father, give us courage and wisdom as we seek to eradicate the evil in our society. Help us to realize that your divine Spirit alone can change hearts and minds so that all your human creatures may enjoy the fullness of life you intended for them. I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.
Printable devotional
To download today’s devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/media/day28.pdf
For life,
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SHAWN CARNEY
President
40 Days for Life
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