Jul 03 2008
Weep With Me?
On Canada Day, I heard the news about Dr. Henry Morgentaler, the “father” of abortion in our nation, being awarded the Order of Canada, the highest honor a Canadian civilian can receive. To say that I was grieved and horrified would be a gross understatement. I had hoped those responsible for making this decision would take note of the poll done at the Globe and Mail which had shown that 92% (over 300,000 votes) of Canadians opposed the idea of him receiving this award, but sadly they did not. They also seem to have forgotten about the poll done by CBC which showed that the top wish of this generation of Canadians was to see abortion ended in our nation. I was then confronted with the question – how should I respond??
A friend of mine mentioned to me in a recent email her desire to “stand in the counsel of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:18) and to be one who is His friend, who hears what is on His heart and what He is saying. This moved me to go before the Godhead and ask them – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – what is Your counsel for me? I was overwhelmed with so many emotions – mourning, anger, confusion, uncertainty – what was the right way for me to respond to this injustice? There were many options before me – more polls that I could participate in, government officials that I could email or call, ways to spread awareness for this issue and seek to have this decision revoked, etc. I began to ask myself what God’s messengers had done in the scripture and I was reminded of those who stood up to corrupt leadership and spoke boldly against the sin that was taking place in their nations. I thought of the prophets who confronted the spirits of godlessness and rebellion with fiery words straight from God. And then I thought of those who simply prayed…and wept.
I believe that there are those who are called to be a voice before the people, those like Faytene Kryskow of 4MyCanada, who I greatly honor and admire for the ministry she is doing among the politicians and in government circles. I greatly encourage you to write letters to the media, to email and call our nation’s leaders, to make your voice heard on behalf of the unborn who are being murdered daily. This is a completely valid and important way that we as Christians can make a stand for righteousness and holiness and calling the people to return to the Lord. As for me, I may or may not do any of those things, but I am writing this blog post to share with you that last night, as I pictured myself sitting with the Trinity, I heard the Father ask me this question, “Weep with us, Jacquie?”
“Yes,” I replied.
Yes, I will weep with You.
As Joel said, “Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O LORD’.” (2:17) And as Jesus said, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7)
So I wept.
I wept for the lost destinies of aborted babies. I wept for the soul of Dr. Henry Morgentalar. I wept for the leaders of our nation. I wept for the grief in my Father’s heart. I wept for the brokenness of those women who are suffering from regret and physical pain from their abortions. I wept for the sinful condition of Canada. And I asked Him to spare us and to show mercy. Forgive our sin and heal our land. Relent from Your anger and bring us back to You.
As I cried, I received a fresh revelation of my God – from eternity past, He chose to be known as a loving Father, and this is one of the reasons why His heart is so intricately interwoven with these precious babies who have been lost. He is a Father who loves children, who created each and every one with tender affection, and who had dreams in His heart for them. He weeps for what could have been, and so I wept with Him. I also saw Jesus, the Son, who is always interceding for us, asking the Father with meekness, love and passion to end abortion in Canada, and so I wept with Him too. And then I saw the Holy Spirit, the One who helps us to pray when we don’t know what to pray, the One who also intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express, and I wept with Him also. Seeing this picture of the Trinity – the tender Father who desires to see abortion ended in my nation, the loving Son who gave His life for the sins of the world, and the Holy Spirit who collects the very tears I was crying – it caused my heart to swell with love for Him all over again. He is truly beautiful and good and He will make things right again. As we cry, He will bring justice. As we weep, He will shift things in the heavenlies. As we pray, He will listen and answer.
As I later shared this with my husband, he asked me the question, “Have you wept like a virgin yet?” He was referring to the verse in Joel 1:8 which says, “Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her youth.” Joel was saying that the judgment coming was so severe that they would mourn like a bride who lost her husband on their wedding day. The tragedies are comparable, for we weep for the unborn who never had the chance to live, just like the bride who never had the chance to enjoy the love of her husband. I know I haven’t wept yet with that level of mourning, and yet if this is what is required, then I ask again for the grace to weep.
Whatever you do, I encourage you to stand in the counsel of the Lord. Ask Him how He would have you respond and then be obedient. Whether your voice is heard before the courts of man or before the courts of heaven – it matters.
Here are some links that will give you direction on what you can do practically:
- Cast your vote in online polls & read the article submitted by Faytene Kryskow
- Call or email government officials
- Write a letter to your local media
- Join the Facebook group
Also, if you haven’t already, you might be interested in reading my series “Weep Between the Porch and the Altar“.
Jacquie