Prayer should be our first and best effort in the fight for life.

It is to our shame that many of us do not connect abortion and prayer. For us who are so outraged by the church's position on abortion, we are prone to jump into a proactive mode that either kicks us into the high gear of politics, preaching, and picketing; or knocks us into the depths of despair, depression, and defeat. We need to hear the words of our Lord as he taught the disciples:

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." And then he tells the parable of the persistent widow who was seeking justice from an unjust judge, and because of her constant plea, she was given justice. And Jesus applied the teaching, "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (Luke 18:1-8)

Let us be persistent in prayer for this fight for life in the church. Please join PPL in this prayer effort. We believe our crying to God will bring about God's intervention all to His glory and honor.

Praying the LORD's Prayer for Life, by Rev. Dr. Donald A. Elliott, Past President of PPL

I often don't know how to pray. I find myself thinking of prayer frequently. I definitely know the need of prayer. And I believe in prayer. But the truth remains...I often don't know how to pray. I capture some time, get into a still place and have my list, but then I wander from person to person and issue to issue and then wonder if I have prayed in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

That is especially true when it comes to praying for Presbyterians Pro-Life ... So what are we to do when we don't know how to pray?

I have found recently the impact of the Lord's Prayer on teaching me how to pray for life issues. It is the model for how to pray and our own knowledge, experience and burdens can fill in the blanks. The disciples came to Jesus and wanted to know how to pray, and Jesus gave them this prayer.

Let's walk through it and pray for life.

Our Father which art in heaven...
As our Father You are the Source of all life, physical and spiritual, and we come to You and no one else to seek refuge and strength.

...hallowed be Thy name...
You are the only one to be honored and praised. Yes, we are thankful for life, but life is not a god. You are and we give you the glory for all life.

...Thy kingdom come...
Lord, we long that all life might have the privilege of hearing Your gospel and come into Your kingdom. We want more than the saving of babies' lives. We want souls saved and brought into Your kingdom.

...Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Father, there is no debate on life in heaven. We pray that You would have mercy and work in us so that we would be like the angels in heaven as we stand for life here on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread...
You are the Giver of all things necessary in this life and in the life to come, so we ask for Your care in the basic needs we have, even breath itself.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
But Lord, there is enough sin to go around when it comes to life. We are sorry for how we have not stood for life and we want those who hurt or have been hurt to know Your great grace that is greater than all our sin.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the days ahead, Father, danger lurks. We have an enemy who is a murderer from the beginning and lies about life. Protect and shelter us through times of weakness and temptation.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. AMEN.
Ultimately, Lord, all life is Yours. Whatever we do, may it always give You the glory and the honor. We trust You with our lives and the lives of all others.

A Call to Prayer

Scripture, Christian tradition, and history have constantly provided evidence that God answers prayer. PPL is seeking Presbyterians who will commit themselves to Life Support, the ministry of prayer.

We encourage you as a member of the Life Support prayer ministry team to make the following four commitments:

1. Pray for PPL concerns at least twice a week. We encourage at least once in the hearing of other Christians, such as small groups, Bible Study, Prayer partners, teams, or chains.
2. Encourage other individuals in your congregation to join in the Life Supportprayer ministry.
3. Encourage public prayers by the church for the efforts to protect unborn children and for the care of their mothers and families.
4. Renew your commitment yearly. Prayer calendars will be sent to all Life Support members on a regular basis upon renewal notice.

---

Statement of Commitment

To receive the Life Support Quarterly Prayer Calendar, print, complete, and mail this section to
PPL Life Support; PO Box 461, Glenshaw, PA 15116, or copy the box below into an email, complete it in the email, and email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it