Psalm 37
I have spent many years of my life dedicated to helping women faced with an unplanned pregnancy find help and hope in the midst of their circumstances. If I am being honest however, I would say that my compassion and understanding has been wholly reserved for the women who find themselves in these circumstances, while feeling nothing but utter contempt for the abortion providers themselves.
Awhile ago, we had a major comedy fundraiser event for our organization called Laugh for Life. After the event, I learned something that brought me to my knees: two Minnesota abortion providers had been invited to our event by one of our supporters, and actually attended. What’s more, they commented about how impressed they were with our organization. In all of our planning for the event, let me assure you, this was one thing I did not imagine would happen!
Now I don’t know what God is doing with all of this, but it was the awareness of what God did that night that softened my heart toward abortion providers in our area and prompted me to pray for them. As I think about them, God continually brings Psalm 37 to my mind:
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun… The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts and their bows will be broken.”
As I begin reading Psalm 37, I find my heart crying out for justice – justice for the children who have lost their lives to abortion – justice for the women and men who are being hurt by abortion under the promise of being helped. Yet by the time I get to the end of this passage, my heart is overwhelmed with compassion. I am reminded that abortion providers are sinners, just like me, in need of a Savior.
While I can’t say that I always think of them as Jesus does, I do now choose to pray for those two abortion providers by name every Thursday (as well as clinic workers and others involved in the abortion industry). It is amazing to me that as I pray, God chooses to replace my contempt with compassion. It is a constant reminder to me that God’s ways are so much higher than my ways.
Who or what do you have contempt for in your life? Maybe it is someone who hurt you personally, or hurt someone you love. It is easy to fuel passion for justice with an anger or bitterness toward someone or something else. But what if for just one day you could see with the eyes of Jesus. Would that change your passions? Would that change your priorities? Try taking one morning a week to pray and ask God to align your sight to His, and see what He has to show you.
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