Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources

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You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good… (Genesis 50:20)

I know God’s commitment to work all things out for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), and I know I love him, so why is this happening?

In this pro-life ministry, it seems that for every few steps we take moving forward, it is only a matter of time before we are knocked back a few steps. Despite the clear teaching not to put our trust in princes (Psalm 146:3), we had grown hopeful. We had some pro-life Supreme Court appointments, and some wonderful Executive Orders that were great…then things changed.

When Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, headed out to the field with his brothers, he was naïve. He wore his beautiful coat, a gift from his indulging father. Life was good – heading in the right direction. But not for long.

Joseph experienced one of the most difficult rejections imaginable. He was sold as a slave by his own brothers. They hated him so intensely that they sold him and fabricated a story that he had been killed in an animal attack.

His troubles continued. He rebuffed an attempt to seduce him by the wife of his master, found himself wrongly accused, and was left to rot in prison. I imagine it would have been difficult to tell Joseph at that time, “Don’t worry about it – it will all work out for good.”

You know how the story ends. From prison, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream, and soon he holds the second-highest leadership position in the country. He would save his brothers and father from the famine. God had a greater plan in mind.

Today the pro-life community wonders how far of a setback we will experience with the new administration. I daily receive emails from people wringing their hands, certain our cause of speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves has been dealt irreparable harm. Really?

Is God so impotent that he cannot overcome changes in leadership? Is God so victimized by all of this that he no longer can hold up his end of the promise to work it all out for our good? I think not!

Abortion advocates expect to reverse all the pro-life work accomplished under the previous administration. They intend such evil to befall our efforts. Maybe the big test is not what abortion rights advocates will do but what pro-life people will do. Did we really start to place our trust in princes who could not save? Is the hand-wringing evidence of our own worldliness? Have we also turned out back on God, doubting his promises?

Forbid the thought!

The fickle nature of a sinful world is why we are here. In a world of shifting values and bad priorities, Christian Life Resources remains committed to its first love – sharing the message of salvation in Christ. We are pro-life not just because it is good for humanity – but because it pleases the God who saved us.

With every election cycle some rules change, but our mission remains. We love because of God’s love for us in Christ. We sacrifice for the unborn because God sacrificed for us. Regardless of who controls the politics, we know who controls eternity. Our allegiance has not changed. We remain committed to loving as we have been loved. We will continue to use the challenging life and family issues of our time as bridges to cross over in Christian love and share the message of salvation through Christ.

Repeatedly we have seen that we cannot reliably provide protection through laws and legislators. The hope we bring comes packaged in our message – God saves you through Christ. Help us to speak that message. Through your prayers and gifts, please partner with us for this greater good. We remain confident that God will work this out for the good of those who love him. Like Joseph, we need to remain committed and patient. God is faithful.