“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 146: 3-10 ESV)
Yesterday, June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States, made up of “sons of man,” issued their opinion that Texas abortion clinics do not need to meet the same health standards as other clinics which provide surgical treatment for their patients. The Texas law, which seems to be common sense, also required that doctors in abortion clinics must have admitting privileges at a hospital near the abortion clinic in case something goes wrong during the procedure (as has happened in the past). The Supreme Court ruled that those safeguards are unconstitutional.
While this Supreme Court decision seems unfathomable for so many reasons and on so many levels, God, through the hand of the psalmist, reminds us that it is He who made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. That includes the legislators in Texas; the justices of the Supreme Court; the mothers who turn to abortion; and the children who are the helpless, silent victims.
We at Lutherans For Life mourn this decision, but we take comfort in the reality that God is watching over us, the sojourners, and that He upholds the widow, the fatherless, the elderly, the mother who is considering abortion, the father who has been involved in an abortion decision, and the aborted child.
So, once again, the princes and sons of man have failed us and we turn to the Lord who reigns forever. We pray for His forgiveness for this nation that has largely turned its back on Him, and we continue to equip Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life. May God have mercy on us all and empower us to do His will.