Isaiah prophesied: “Therefore
the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and
bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” ~ Isaiah 7:14. Hundreds of
years later, this prophecy was finally fulfilled and Matthew recorded: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the
Lord through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear
a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means,
"God with us" ~ Matthew 1:22+23.
Notice that Matthew adds something – the meaning of the name Immanuel. Now think about that for a moment. Can
you comprehend what it means for God to be with us?! That is amazing!
This thought was a
great encouragement to me as we set out this morning to minister at an abortion
mill. Today we went to a mill in a different city than the ones we usually go
to. We wanted to connect with and stand by the faithful saints who are there
week after week. Even though they don’t always see a lot of immediate fruit and
it could be easy to get discouraged, I praise God that they just keep going and
His truth and hope are being
proclaimed! It is our responsibility to pray, proclaim, and be available for
God to use in any way He wants. We leave the fruit to Him.
Sometimes we don’t see
the fruit, even though it is being produced. One vehicle left this morning
before an abortion could have been done. We never saw them come back. Did they
change their minds? Will they be back another day? Only God knows, but we can
rest in the fact that He does!
Another vehicle with a
typical-looking abortion-minded couple drove around the block a few times,
looking at us and the clinic on every round. As we were getting ready to leave,
they passed and called out to ask us what we were doing, but drove away before
we could respond. We stayed on a bit longer and were able to witness them pass
by again. Instead of going around the block this time, they turned the other
way and were gone. Did they change their minds? Will they be back another day?
We pray that God was able to use our witness of truth in their hearts!
One thing that God reinforced
in my heart was that He really does “. .
. cause all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” ~ Romans 8:28. This morning the clinic we were at called the
police out (we’re not exactly sure the particular reason why, although we have
some ideas :). The male officer that came was exceptionally polite and considerate.
I found myself beginning to wish that we had him as an officer
in the area where we usually go out to minister, especially as things have been
escalating recently. However, I quickly remembered that verse in Romans and
began thanking God that He will work
all things together for good – He has promised (with conditions :)!
“. . .
If God is for us, who can be against us?” ~Romans 8:31. I would encourage you to read the whole chapter
of Romans 8. It is very encouraging, especially for those who are feeling the
reality of the spiritual battle!
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