A prayer for the sanctity of human life

Dear God, thank You that we are fearfully and wonderfully made” by Your good and gracious hand (Psalm 139:14). Your eyes saw our unformed substance as You were knitting us together in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13,16). No one is an accident or an unwanted creation. You are the Giver of Life, and we are grateful for each person made in Your image, whether born or unborn.

Father, our hearts break for the state of our world today as it relates to the unborn. A mother’s womb is no longer the safest place on Earth because of the brutality of abortion. We pray for those little ones, that You would protect them in Your love and bring their mothers to the realization that the one growing inside of them is not a “clump of cells” but a beautiful, defenseless baby in need of a mother’s care.

Lord, we pray for Your intervention in this war on the unborn. Just as David told Goliath, “The battle is the Lord’s,” we know that this battle can only be won by Your mighty hand (1 Samuel 17:47).

We pray for boldness to do our part, to enter the fray and “defend the rights of the afflicted and needy” (Proverbs 31:9). No one is more needy than the unborn. Help us to do all we can to reach women in crisis – from those facing an unplanned pregnancy to those who have had an abortion – with the hope that is found only in Jesus.

We thank You that “the blood of Jesus … cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The sin of abortion, as horrible as it is, can be washed “white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18) if we confess it to You from a heart of humble repentance.

Thank You for the cross, Lord Jesus. Thank You that Your love for us is not dependent on our goodness but on Your grace. Thank You that You have mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.