COLUMBIA—Prayer at an abortion clinic can be a deeply spiritual, personal, and emotional experience. It can also call for great intentionality.
Bonnie Lee, who is a member of Open Heart Baptist Church here, has learned a great deal about prayer on her visits to the Planned Parenthood abortion mill in town.
“I always pray for protection for the babies,” she said. “I have prayed that at times God would just literally, physically intervene and hold that doctor’s hand back, that this child cannot be taken. I pray that the staff that is scheduling these women and assisting the doctor is sharing partial truth and hiding much of the truth, that minds and hearts would be open that they see the truth of life and what they’re doing. I pray that their hearts are softened, that someone can touch them, that maybe our presence can help touch them, that they can give over to the truth and stop what they’re doing and help fight the killing of children.
“I also intercede for these young women who are so deceived by the lies given to them not only by Planned Parenthood but by our culture in general. Yes, they are willingly choosing to take the life of their child, but some day they will not be able to deny their choice any longer. What horror and pain will come. Also while they try to deny the truth, it still impacts their life daily in one form or another. And, though probably few, there are those who are being coerced by the baby’s father or by their own family to do what they know in their heart is evil. I cannot imagine the confusion and pain they cover by other destructive choices.”
The women who are participating with the abortionist in the deaths of their babies are a special focus of Lee’s prayers.
“I pray for God to bring a grounded Christian minister into their lives to lead them to Christ’s healing,” she said. “I pray they will stop and take the post-abortion help offered by the sidewalk counselors. I pray for local crisis pregnancy centers to be prepared to reach out to these broken girls and women. I pray they will allow God to use them to reach others with truth. And when it becomes overwhelming seeing the deaths occurring both physically and spiritually, and I am at a loss for words to pray, I read aloud the Psalms and cry to the Holy Spirit to lift the needed prayers.”
ALLEN PALMERI/associate editor
apalmeri@mobaptist.org