Pray for Life – November 6, 2012 (Psalm 4:8)
As these 40-days of prayer and reflection come to a close, I am reminded that sexual love is all about life.
The beauty and power of sex is managed well when it is oriented toward creating and tending new life. That presumes, of course, that the man and woman becoming one have made a lifetime commitment to each other. (How else can new life be well-tended unless the two that created it are prepared to care for it?)
Marriage demands two things of sex: first, that sex answers to the greater commitment that two people have already made with their clothes on. And second, that the fruit of sex—kids—are treated with dignity, cared for by two who must answer to each other.
In our day where sex is celebrated as a human ‘right’ and answers only to how much pleasure one derives from it, marriage may seem medieval, ill-suited to a culture fractured by divorce, addiction, and cynicism about anyone keeping his/her promises.
I say instead that marriage has never mattered more for our culture or for any other. One man for one woman champions the dignity of every citizen by reminding all that our bodies possess the power to create life, a call so precious that it requires commitment.
The states of Maine, Minnesota, Washington and Maryland will decide today whether they will uphold marriage or further fracture it by introducing same-gender unions into the mix. To do so strikes down what marriage in essence is, and raises up yet another confusing symbol of humanity that will not serve future generations well.
Why? ‘Gay marriage’ cannot generate life. And cannot demand the growth required by ‘otherness.’ Sexualizing same-gender friendship is yet another form of narcissism, as one peers into the pool of his/her own image.
Pray for life. Pray for citizens in these four states to honor marriage for the good of all.
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November 6, 2012
‘I will down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:8)
On this Election Day, we entrust our great and compromised nation to God. Because of her goodness and our gratitude to our country, we also fear. We fear that she might refuse to uphold what God does. I have witnessed many nations now who have passed ‘gay marriage’ initiatives and it does not go well for them. The face of perversion is magnified when the state redefines marriage —one can only imagine its impact upon generations-to-come. And it weakens the witness of Christians in the land, who often curtail their witness for fear of being seen as intolerant for calling homosexuals to repentance.
So we pray that God would restrain one particular form of wickedness by rallying people to uphold marriage in the land. In so doing, we are asking God to have mercy on us. If we fail to uphold what He does, He can withhold favor from us.
At the end of this day, our hope lies not in a vote or in the judgment of a court. Our hope lies in God. He alone makes us secure. If all turned away from His ways, we each can stay true to Him. We may need to suffer more by defying cultural norms. God employs everything for His good.
David came close to being murdered by Absalom. All it took was one low-hanging branch from a tree to knock his son’s block off (2Sam. 18:9, 10). Absalom died swiftly and David proceeded on to seek and serve His God. May we proceed onto revived hope and trust in our King, who alone makes us secure.
‘Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.’ (Zeph. 2: 1-3)
‘Have mercy on our nation, O Lord. May the people who gather to vote today uphold marriage. We confess and repent of our shameful nakedness. Hear our prayers and answer. Act on our behalf. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we confess our sins of cowardice and compromise. We have violated Your holy commands in regards to what we have done to our bodies and to other bodies. And in our compromise we have become cowards, unwilling to stand for what we know to be true for the dignity of all. We ask that You might have mercy on Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington; uphold marriage in these states, and in our nation, as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on ‘gay marriage.’
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