REPOSTED FROM: June 18, 2013
Today, all the children and I went to our chiropractic appointment and on the way home, Julia, knowing we were near an abortion mill that we don't go to as often as our regular place of ministry, begged me to stop for a moment to minister since abortions are usually done in the afternoon on Tuesdays. Usually when a child makes this request, time doesn't allow and when I say that we can't, the subject is quickly dropped. This time, I told them that we couldn't stop because we had no pre-abortion packets in the van, as we usually would have had. However, Julia kept asking and pleading, so I felt that I should give in, thinking that it might just be the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
So, without my normal ministry tools...my pre-abortion packets, signs, speaker and mic and tent, we stopped by anyway.
As we got out of the van with our three Gospel tracts, the first thing we noticed was that NO ONE was there ministering there that day. NO ONE was speaking up for those who had no voice.
I walked to the parking lot entrance and counted 13 cars. 13!
Thirteen babies were scheduled to die and no one had been there to plead their cases upon their mama's arrival at this place of death. How sad in a city so large; a city in the middle of the Bible belt; a city with a church on every corner that there was not one Christian present.
The children and I crossed the street and my children decided to stand nearest the door. A six-foot fence "protects" the clients from dealing with those who plead for the lives of their children and offer them practical and spiritual help and counsel.
As my kiddos stood there and as we all sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and "Jesus Loves Me", a man opened the door and through the slats and we could see him standing on the patio. I started to speak to him. He continued to just stand there, though we couldn't tell what he was doing. My children then decided to quote Scripture and plead for the child that he had brought in there.
Their sweet voices and our pleas for mercy drew this man to come talk to us. While we were talking to this man, a women, wanting to see what we were all about, was waiting in the wings to speak to us. The Gospel was shared with these people. The Gospel hit home HARD with the woman, who claimed to be a Christian, but had never heard the true Gospel! And while I was talking to her, Annalise was able to share the Law and the Gospel (GOOD NEWS) with a post-abortive couple who had, as they put it, "already done it". God was moving through us, despite us being ill-prepared with ministry materials!
On the way home, the children each prayed for a different aspect of our 45 minutes of ministry. And in the midst of realizing that I obeyed, despite my "better judgment", I realized that if I had NOT listened to my 7 year old's prompting of the Holy Spirit, those exchanges would NOT have taken place.
So, what's holding YOU back from ministering? Are you listening to yourself or to God?
Lisa Metzger