How are followers of Christ supposed to war against the evil age in which we live? Violence is contrary to the will of God. God has called us to love and pray for our enemies (Matt. 5:43-44). What are we to do then as countless millions of children are horrifically murdered day after day in our blood-soaked land? Are we to stand by and watch helplessly? Are we to work harder to elect conservative politicians? Are we to stand in more protest lines? Are we to erect more billboards on the interstate? What is the right course of action? Our country is now controlled by a majority of pro-abortion politicians. Humanly speaking, it is impossible to pass legislation to ban abortion outright at this time. What are we to do then? We can debate, publish articles, sign petitions, and stand in protest lines, but all of this will save precious few lives. Thousands of babies are still going to be savagely killed this year. We cannot stand by and allow this horror to continue, but what can we do?
The Scripture says, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! (Isa. 31:1). During Hezekiah’s reign the threat of an Assyrian invasion was very real. Assyria was known for its brutality and viciousness – the Nazis of their day. When this evil army began descending upon Judah fear and dread set in. Some proposed that Hezekiah send to Egypt for assistance to fight the invaders. To this desire God spoke the above words.
Some of the Israelites looked to Egypt for help but God condemns this as a rejection of Him. They were not looking to the Holy One of Israel, the God who made heaven and earth. They were ignoring the help of Him who stretched out the heavens like a curtain, Him who told the sea it could come this far and no farther (Job 38-41). They were refusing to go to the One whom the highest heaven cannot contain (1 Kgs. 8:27). They had forgotten that no one can thwart the plan of God when He decides to act (Ps. 115:3). They had forgotten that a king is putty in God’s hands (Prov. 21:1). As a result they turned to human military might and human ingenuity for deliverance instead of to the Almighty God.
Therefore, God merely stretched out his hand and those who hoped in humans stumbled and fell. Yet God does not abandon his people. If you read on into Isaiah 36-37, Assyria surrounds Jerusalem boasting that she will fall just like every other city has fallen before her. They boast that even the LORD will not be able to deliver Judah from their hand. Hezekiah falls before God in prayer and in the night the LORD destroys the Assyrian army of 185,000 men. God’s hand is not too short to save. The God of Hezekiah is the same God we serve today!
So, what should we do in the face of the melee of our country’s genocide of the unborn? We should stop hoping in government officials and government programs to bring deliverance. Egypt could not help Judah and politicians cannot deliver us from this injustice. We should stop hoping in our protest lines, our debates and our billboards to stop the slaughter. While these options of action are ways we can make our voice heard, I fear we have placed all our hope in them instead of in the Sovereign God. We are surrounded by a government and a society that is self-absorbed and has no intent to stop the infanticide. If this horror is to be stopped, God must do it. I believe right now, while the power is in the control of the pro-abortion leadership, is the time God will be glorified in the destruction of the abortion industry. If He were to do it during a conservative presidency or Congress, we would no doubt give the credit to some politician. If He does it now, when it is impossible, only He will get the glory! I challenge you followers of Christ to join me in returning to the LORD of glory to fight for us. We must start waging war spiritually as the Scripture teaches in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Our weapons against the injustice of abortion are not mere politics, petitions and protest lines. Stop hoping in the horses and chariots of American politics and start looking to the One who spoke the universe into existence.
Join me in looking to God by actively praying. The weapon of prayer is “divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2Cor 10:4). Prayer is powerful because it is lived out dependence, trusting God instead of trusting in ourselves. Start praying for the abortion clinic nearest your home. Pray daily for its doors to be permanently closed by the Lord of Glory. Pray for the sake of the God’s name. Plead with God to defend his helpless image bearers. Pray for the doctors, nurses and mothers to be saved and forgiven of their sin. Pray daily with perseverance. Do not stop praying until the clinic nearest you has closed its doors for good. Pray individually or in groups. Look to the Holy One of Israel and stop hoping in government. Hear me very carefully, brothers and sisters. Do not take the law into your own hands. Do not fight violence with violence, for we must remember that God has said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Heb. 10:30). It is God who will bring this brutality to justice. We therefore must urgently, persistently and actively pray that Christ our Lord would magnify His name in the fall of the abortion industry. (Phil Bray is pastor of First Baptist Church, Puxico.)