Stay In the Fight
In my daily Bible study I am looking at the book of Lamentations, the Prophet Jeremiah's lament over the destroyed city of Jerusalem. For much of his life, Jeremiah warned and pleaded for Judah to repent of her wicked idolatry, but his words were ignored. He was mocked, accused of spreading conspiracy theories, marked as a traitor, and eventually imprisoned. When Jerusalem was finally destroyed by the Babylonians, it would have been human of Jeremiah to look upon the ruins and think, "I told you so," but that was not his response. Instead it broke him.
It is clear when reading Lamentations that the destruction of the city was God's judgment. Repeatedly, Jeremiah laments the inability of the people to repent of their sins and turn to God. Early in his lament Jeremiah observes, "She did not consider her destiny; Therefore her collapse was awesome; She had no comforter." (Lam 1:9)
As I read these words, we had just remembered Sanctity of Life Sunday commemorating the legalization of abortion on demand in America. While we celebrate the overturning of this horrendous decision, the legacy of 50 years of mass murder has left a deep scar on the soul of this country and her citizens. It is estimated that since 1973, more than 60 million children have been murdered. We look in horror at the mass murder of the Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust, but barely shed a tear at the murder of so many children.
Why bring this up? I am reminded of the words Thomas Jefferson expressed in 1781, "I tremble for my country when I recall that God is just, and His justice will not sleep forever."
Far too many of us, I fear, are apathetic about the great sin that our generation has committed. Even those of us who bear the name of Christ and call ourselves Christians fail to lament the death of so many innocent children.
While Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the battle for the lives of innocent children continues. The last few years have been a Great Revealing. We have witnessed with our own eyes and heard the words of political leaders vowing to ensure that abortion on demand is both legal and available for children up to birth. America in 2023 does not see children as a precious gift from God, but as an inconvenient piece of tissue that can be discarded for any and all reasons.
At Ruth Harbor, we stand in the gap with women who choose life. Their journey is not an easy one, and the obstacles are many. Yet, it is with both hope and courage that Ruth Harbor moms make the determination that their child is going to live and not be aborted and that this baby will have a better life than his or her mother has experienced up to this point.
When you contribute to Ruth Harbor, you join hands with these women and walk this journey with them. You provide the warmth of a home and food on the table, safety and security, access to healthcare, and a loving family to support them and be there with them as they bring a new child into the world. On January 26 we welcomed the first child into the Ruth Harbor Family, a little boy. Let me encourage you to stay in the fight for life!
We cannot bring back the lives of 60 million innocent children murdered over the last 50 years, but we can humble ourselves and repent of this great sin, plead for God's mercy and forgiveness, and welcome a new generation one life at a time.