It has been an honor to have the discussion of life shown the light of day in our land by the leadership of ND Choose Life. Now is the time to stand boldly and recognize the ND Human Life Amendment as a marker for life on our land! A stone, the size of a boulder has been added to the pile where other markers have already been placed. Those marker stones include the prayers of women and men who continue to faithfully pray and counsel in front of the Red River Women’s abortion clinic every week. Stones that represent the hours, days and years volunteers and staff have loved others in safe havens like the PR Pregnancy Help Center, the Grand Fork’s Women’s Clinic, the St. Gianna Maternity Home, the Perry Center and adoption agencies. The stones in the pile include the messages of the post abortive women who told their stories over our airwaves, the man who laid down his position in the world of elder care work to fight for the inalienable right to life here in our state, two pro-life legislators who fought for re-election and were called to something higher than public service in Bismarck, Shepherds who spoke truth from the altar and college-aged volunteers who said “Yes” to spread the message of life. Stones in this marker pile are the reverent prayers of believers, prayer warriors, from across the country who petitioned God to heal our land of death and destruction.
Woven in the Scriptures are stories of faithfulness, blessings from a Sovereign, Almighty God and the commands to remember. Today we do that by standing fast and giving God the Glory for His mighty work!
Joshua 4:1-7 “When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Choose 12 men … and tell them to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and do carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight … to serve as a sign among you. … These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.’”
Joshua 2:12-19 “The men said to Rahab, ‘This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible.”
ND Choose Life leaders provided today’s scarlet cord. It is the scarlet cord made visible from far beyond a high window; a cord shown to the outside world through not only the media but signs placed on private property. This cord of life was shown forth when our state and federal government officials spoke out in favor of the Human Life Amendment. The height and color of the scarlet cord clearly brought forth truth in public endorsements from authorities in not only government, but in health care and Christian institutions.
Like Rahab, these individuals acted and spoke truth in a culture of darkness. Is there distress with the election result that shows the number of people that have blood on their own heads until the day they repent of their unbelief and unwillingness to protect life? Yes, but there will be no retreat, no regret and no reserve. We must take up the cross; move in faith to spread truth over the whole land that abortion is unthinkable.
Joshua’s preparation of sending two men to spy shows faithfulness, not a lack of faith. His action reveals his belief in God’s promise of success. Faithfulness happens when we are spurred to step out in godly activity; believing God’s promises of success, we are not bullied nor lulled into inactivity.
There was another purpose for the spies to be sent. To save Rahab! It is God’s desire that all be saved. The Almighty goes to great lengths to bring one woman and her household to salvation. This woman who would really appear impossible to save was brought into a life obedient to the One True God.
ND Choose Life saved lives. It brought the message of forgiveness over the TV, radio, internet, print and social media by revealing those who willingly stand with people broken by abortion. The message was brought into light in churches where mothers, fathers and grandparents spoke of their injuries and where our youth heard truth about choice and life. Even the land of higher education was brought the truth through multiple events and countless opportunities taken by life believing students. ND Choose Life was a blessing, a marker in our land. It is a place to remember God’s arm is not short nor His hand of blessing unseen.
I am not the same. Are you? ND Choose Life made me go deeper. A sharper servant’s heart was developed in my private devotion and public conversations. It provided opportunities to dive into community and seek to get to know others, not waiting for others to pursue my “particular interest” in truth and life. The Lord provided, and like Joshua and Rahab, I leaned in to follow God’s plan, learned wisdom and left to follow the Master.
For me, the message of life has become sharper and the distress in darkness even greater brought by the presence of light (2 Peter 2). In the “defeat of votes”, it has become clear that few sought to understand or were willing to count the cost to protect life. As such, a sharper focus is needed as we refuse to move away from the message of life to make accommodations for mere political gain. Distress is felt due to the knowledge that God will hold all those accountable who voted their choice over the choice of life. These are things to pray through, for no bad decision can stop the grace of God in someone’s life.
I am distressed by the number of people who believed the lie, spread by those in the industry which destroys life, that the Human Life Amendment would take away the opportunity for children to be conceived through IVF procedures. The truth is that medical procedures that provide an opportunity for parenthood were never jeopardized. Unfortunately, a great number of voters believed that Measure 1 would destroy any IVF possibilities and ignored the worthy cause of protecting the life of babies already in the womb. Let’s for arguments sake say it had a potential effect on IVF, which it did not, – is it a worthy cause to protect a mother’s possible option to carry her own embryo through IVF over the protection of another child already conceived and in the womb? I think not. It is a twisted message indeed.
Rahab’s faith wasn’t a strong or perfect faith yet she is commended in the Word of God. Her actions showed courage especially when you consider her culture. She was living in a city given over to the worship of false gods and immorality. It sounds familiar to me! Just turn on the TV and watch commercials. Ungodliness, superstition, torture and sorcery have found a place in daily entertainment. What will be my excuse if I surrender the fight, believing the life issue has been decided by a majority vote and, therefore, no longer speak out Biblical truths in our ungodly culture?
Our faith assures us the Creator of life is Our Heavenly Father, an Omnipotent God and that we have been chosen to live for such a time as this. A culture in which only a minority of people acted on the belief that the inalienable right to life should be recognized and protected, needs the Light of Jesus! With a grateful heart, thank God for the leadership of ND Choose Life for they shone the bright light of life and left the marks of God’s blessings on our land. Join me, carrying the torch that has been passed to us. Speak love, speak life.
John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”