Linda with a “Moms for Life” sign at a monthly protest of Planned Parenthood Aurora
Sometimes praying out side the abortion mill can be a tiring and thankless work. Sometimes it seems like you spent an hour outside, often in the freezing cold or burning heat, for nothing.
But even when we see no immediate fruit of our efforts, the world is watching. And sometimes, the simple act of standing in prayer outside the abortion facility has effects we don’t hear about for years, if ever.
Take for example this story from Linda, a pro-lifer here in Aurora, Illinois who regularly prays outside our Planned Parenthood facility:
Friday, September 13 was our church’s day to pray outside of Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinic in Aurora. The clinic has been here for about 5 years, and for these 5 years many of us have prayed for the moms, dads, and babies wounded by abortion.
That day a young man drove by, stopped, and motioned me over. He has seen those praying daily as he passes by. He told me that seeing people pray “gave me the strength to fight for my baby.”
He grabbed my hands as he told me about how his pregnant girlfriend wanted an abortion. But because he had seen us praying outside Planned Parenthood, he fought for his baby’s life, and on the previous Saturday, the “happiest day of my life,” his son was born!
His words over and over to me were, “Do not think that you are unnoticed!” What we do does make a difference. Standing “for life” is really such a simple thing. If you ever considered coming out to pray, don’t hesitate. You will not go unnoticed!
When you pray at the abortion clinic, you are noticed! Even if it’s by people who will never tell you, you are noticed. People are reminded that abortion is wrong, they are reminded that people care about abortion enough to do something about it.
Even if they’re pro-abortion, they may go home and talk about the people they saw outside the clinic, and that’s a conversation about abortion that would not have happened if they had driven by an abortion clinic where nobody was praying.
Standing in prayer at the abortion clinic isn’t just interceding for the mothers, babies and workers inside. It’s a prophetic witness to the world that something wrong is happening in that building, and it’s our Christian duty to engage in that witness—just like it’s our duty to feed the poor, take care of the sick and bury the dead.
So get out to your local abortion clinic this week, just for one hour. Whatever happens while you’re there, you will not go unnoticed!