It was a big deal last year when Vice President Mike Pence attended the 44th-annual March for Life. It was the first time ever that a sitting U.S. vice president spoke at the event. The March for Life has been taking place every year since 1974 – just one year after the infamous Roe v. Wade case legalized abortion nationwide.
And this year, we have a new first-ever. President Donald Trump will be the first sitting president of the United States to address the March for Life live. He will do so via satellite from the White House Rose Garden.
Of all the presidents who ran on a pro-life platform, not one has ever spoken live to this enormous assembly of individuals who make their way to Washington, D.C., to express their love, support, and desire to protect babies in the womb. Why is that?
My husband and I attended the March for Life several years ago. It was like nothing we had ever experienced. For one thing, it was cold. So cold! Heavy snow stirred through the air with each biting breeze. But we were among an estimated 650,000 determined marchers pushing forward on D.C.’s streets and frozen sidewalks for hours. It was amazing. And it was worth it!
I can tell you I was not prepared. The winter boots we wear in Mississippi just don’t do the trick for such an occasion. As I stood in front of the Supreme Court building for more than an hour readying myself to speak at the podium, I began to fear the possibility of frostbite. Maybe it was irrational, but the pain was real … and so was the fear. Suddenly policemen rushed toward us telling us to quickly disburse. A bomb threat had been made. More fear!
Fear was an emotion countless men experienced about 3,000 years ago when faced with a giant by the name of Goliath. While many scattered, a young shepherd boy could not just stand by as the man taunted the people of God. Though everyone else saw a giant, David saw an “uncircumcised Philistine” who was defying the armies of the living God.
How dare he? David had to do something. He had to fight the one who defied his God.
In the face of discouragement, David emphatically asked, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29) Yes, there was a cause. And today, for us, concerning the sacrifice of children created in God’s image, there is most certainly a cause!
I imagine onlookers asking David, “What good are those little stones? Seriously? Rocks? Do you not see the giant standing before you? Do you not see his great and mighty armor?”
It is described in 1 Samuel 17:5-7 (NLT):
He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.
With five smooth stones and the armor of God, David put one foot in front of the other. We all know what happened from there. An unimpressive boy who refused to depend on the armor of man, who depended on God alone, destroyed a giant with only one of five seemingly ridiculous stones. His aim was flawless.
In its 2016-2017 annual report, Planned Parenthood brags about celebrity entertainers, (“high-profile musicians, artists, writers, comedians, and thought leaders”) who support its agenda. It reports that it continued to receive over a half-billion dollars of taxpayer funds while killing over 300,000 babies. It taunts and laughs all the way to the bank. The carnage continues.
Appearing as an impregnable giant, the abortion industry stands tall, boasting of its power. Can it really be demolished? Can abortion ever be stopped?
Most of us relate to David … unimpressive, small, alone.
But what David knew was that, if only for a moment, he was made a soldier in “the army of the living God.” He was anything but alone. And His God was anything but unimpressive or small.
Whether one person or a million people walk through the streets of D.C. today, let God be the One in whom we place our trust. Though He may choose to use a simple, unimpressive person such you or me … or a well-known leader such as Donald Trump, let us place our trust in the King of Kings.
We are each given a platform, a role to play. There is something each of us can do and say. Without question, each and every one of us can pray.
In past years, the mainstream media downplayed the March for Life or pretended it didn’t exist at all. But perhaps things will be different this year. Maybe, just maybe God has a plan that we least expect. Maybe he has some smooth stones ready for use.
Unlike the day my husband and I attended the March, today is comparably warm – sunny with a high of 43 degrees expected. And it will be a little more difficult for the media to ignore this year’s March for Life. After all, President Trump does have a special way of garnering media attention.
Editor’s Note: Tune in to The Hamilton Corner on AFR today, January 19, at 5:00 p.m. Central to hear commentary from Anne Reed, the writer of this blog.
The photo above is attributed to Miss.Monica.Elizabeth (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
