Jan 20 = a day of fasting and prayer for God to change abortion

After almost two weeks off from blogging, I have so much to tell you, but before I talk about anything else this year, I want to share what has been heavy on my heart since last month. It kind of came out of nowhere in my prayer time in December.

That day, I posted this over on facebook:

oh friends. For some reason, my spirit has been heavily burdened since my prayer time this morning. I feel called to pray for abortion to end. Like face-to-the-floor aching, seeking the face of the Lord for the lives of the precious little ones who are being pulled apart limb by limb from their mother's wombs. It is overwhelming to me. 

I've never fasted before in my life, but I feel called to fast in prayer over this. Will you fast with me? 

The day to fast that immediately came to mind during my prayer time is MLK day, which is January 20th. That day is 7 weeks from today exactly. 

Would you maybe be willing to join me that day in fasting for the lives of these little ones? That somehow God would intervene and save them? 

Maybe God will work a mighty work and we might have believers across the nation praying and fasting together on that day? 

I know our God can save those babies. I can't change the hearts of those doing it, but I know WHO can. 

Will you pray about joining me?

MLK Day, January 20, is 2 weeks from today. This nagging thought keeps swirling in my brain for these last few weeks- what if what we are missing in this praying about abortion thing is for our own hearts to change?

These are our people, our nation, our friends, our families, our neighbors- the men and women who checkout in the same grocery store lines as we do. They are no different than we are. This is as much our problem as it is theirs. It was our own grandparents and parents and you and I who have allowed our culture to become this way.

Maybe our minds have drawn lines in the sand- and "we could never do that" has become the secret language of condemnation that we have had toward those participating in it. Maybe the mental separation of ourselves from those doing it keeps our hearts from repenting from the sickness that is happening all around us. Maybe we as believers, are just as guilty.

How do we go on with regular life knowing that innocent lives are being taken? I know I am completely guilty. 1000% guilty. I am guilty of thinking I could never, and perhaps that hardness of my heart has only helped Satan in his mission to kill and destroy and devour. Who knows that I haven't done the same unknowingly?

I don't have all of the answers, but I feel certain we are called to repent before the Lord for our own sins and for the sins of our nation. We need God to open our eyes to our own sin, and break us first, so that our prayers will not be hindered. We need our God to clean and purify our hearts so that we can love the ones around us who desperately need Jesus as much as we do.

And crazy enough, first thing this morning, I saw this article from Matt Chandler. He says it all so much better than I can:

Who is more vulnerable, who is more the least of these than the unborn? Who is more fragile, who is in need of more protection, who is in need of more help than the unborn? So what are we to do as the people of God? The first thing we need to do is repent. Some of us need to repent for actively being involved in this. There’s grace and mercy for you. I started the way I started on purpose. There’s forgiveness and mercy for all. 

and he goes on to say:

The second thing we can do is we can pray, guys. This is a spiritual issue. You don’t have the science in front of us that we have in front of us and not be moved to do anything about it unless your eyes are blinded, your conscience is seared. So we can pray. We can pray for judges. We can pray for those working with women. We can pray for advocacy and pregnancy centers. We can pray.

Will you join me in praying for our hearts to be broken, for us to share the love of Jesus with everyone around us, so that we can love them as He did? So that maybe, God will hear our cries and confessions and change our attitude to see the brokenness that is happening around us? That He will put a fire in our bellies and a burning desire in our hearts to save these precious little babies and to show Jesus to the mamas and daddies to whom they belong?

Oh, this burden is so very real, so very strong.

Do we see it? Souls are at stake. Living souls.

Our God is so big, He can do GREAT and wonderful things and change our culture, if we seek Him. I know He can do it.

I'll be praying and fasting on January 20 for God to save us. That He would humble and change me first. That he would show me my own sin here, my own apathy and participation, and clean the hearts of His people first. That He would do mighty and powerful things, and that His people would be willing to risk our own comfort and convenience to share the Truth, even if it means being hated by the world. That He would give us the strength to stand against evil with the power of the Holy Spirit so that lives can be forever changed.

Oh friend, will you prayerfully consider joining me on that day?

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 

2 Chronicles 7:14

{I also made a facebook event you can attend and share with your friends as well if you're over there...}