Twilight Zone!

When I was a little girl, I loved to watch this strange show called The Twilight Zone. It was the 1980s revival of the old classic sci-fi series. Each episode told a tale or two, founded upon horror or suspense, often with a surprising twist at the end. When we feel like we’re caught between reality and some dream world. When we feel like everything around us is no longer normal. Today I find myself thinking, “I feel like I am in the twilight zone.” It seems like the world around me gets stranger and stranger week by week.

This week our US Senate voted on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Basically, it would have required that "any health care practitioner present" when an abortion was performed but the baby has been born alive, “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age." It would also require practitioners make attempts to “ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital." It was voted down. (See more here: Albert Mohler article)

I read a quote from New Hampshire’s Senator Jeanne Shaheen, “This bill is just another line of attack in the ongoing war on women’s health.” What? How in the world is giving a baby born alive medical care, an attack on women’s health?? Am I in the Twilight Zone? I am still waiting for the surprising twist.

Infanticide Definition: “the CRIME of killing a child within a year of birth. Causes of infanticide often involve extreme emotional disturbance; A person who kills an infant, especially their own child.”

I found that definition in the dictionary! The next step is changing our dictionaries to fit their agenda. You remember that from History class, right? The book burnings in Nazi Germany and in Austria in the 1930’s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or those that represented ideologies opposed to Nazism.

Today I felt very angry, and perplexed. What is going on?? Who voted for these people? How did we get here? This is insanity.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)

Injustice moves me to anger and anger moves me to action. It motivates me to do something. I immediately started to pray, “Lord, please intervene.” I started to read Psalms 106.

“Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation; That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly … But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.” (Psalm 106:1-6,35-38)

My anger turned to sorrow. Can it get any worse? We as a nation are knowingly shedding innocent blood, our own sons and daughters! I wonder what it looked like in the days of Noah? What were the people doing the day the first rain drops fell? Or how about in Sodom? What were those people doing at the time fire started to fall from the sky? I am guessing they were doing just what they always did, living their lives without even a thought of the consequences.

“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)

We don’t want it to be ever said of us that we were critical or complainers or whiners and we did nothing about it. We are starting a monthly prayer meeting at our house to pray specifically for the marginalized, the oppressed, the most vulnerable among us. What we schedule, we get to. If you feel equally motivated – join us or start your own in your home. Sometimes we feel like or say, “all we can do is pray.” The reality is, the greatest and best thing we can do is pray. We demonstrate the Gospel in this way. Interceding on behalf of all of our most vulnerable is one of the greatest commitments we can make. This often overlooked or minimized opportunity to lift our concerns to the throne of God really can make a difference in us and out there.

If you are in the Rochester area, please consider joining our prayer meeting. Contact us below for more info.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Jill