Before Illinois House, Bold Pastor Asks God To Judge State over Abortion Bill
The Illinois legislature recently passed a bill that openly repealed the state’s ban on partial-birth abortion.
The “Reproductive Health Act” will allow Illinois residents to abort their babies up to the ninth month of pregnancy — and force insurance companies to pay for the procedure. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he will sign the bill, according to the Southern Illinoisan.
The bill, which some have called even more extreme than New York’s recent “late term” abortion law, also includes a smack in the face to churches, nonprofits with religious affiliations and small business owners by removing coverage exemptions from those entities.
On Friday, three days after the bill passed in the House, Rep. Darren Bailey invited the Rev. Corey Musgrave, a pastor from Fairfield, Illinois, to open the legislative session in prayer.
Musgrave did not waste his opportunity. He prayed with passion and boldness. It was simply spectacular.
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“God, we have made our appeals to the leaders of Illinois this week on behalf of those innocent babies who do not yet have a voice,” Musgrave prayed.
“We have been a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves as You have commanded us. Those appeals were denied, but we have one final appeal left and that is to the courts of Heaven.”
And the final appeal to which Musgrave referred was not without effect. The ears, and hopefully the hearts, of the legislators in that room are still stinging:
“God Almighty, I make an appeal to Heaven today, to You the perfect judge, the One who presides over Heaven’s court. I ask You to rise up, oh God, and judge Illinois for the sanctioned destruction of the innocent unborn.”
The pastor then went on to acknowledge the fact that God’s judgment on his state could actually bring obedience, “When Your judgments are in this state, the inhabitants of Illinois learn righteousness.”
But then Musgrave, remembering that the Gospel is as much a story of merciful redemption as it is condemnation for sin, ended his prayer with poetically compelling request.
“In Your judgment, I pray that You would remember mercy, for we know that You, oh God, do not want anyone to be destroyed,” Musgrave prayed.
“I ask this in the name of Your son, the one who died for a sinner like me, the one who was appointed to judge the living and the dead. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.”
And that’s how it’s done.
As could be expected, some didn’t like his prayer.
When asked to clarify, according to WEHT, Musgrave simply said, “People thought the word judge or judgment some people misconstrued that as wrath or I wanted God to do something bad, no.”
Musgrave continued, “The definition of ‘judge’ is to make a decision, and my prayer is to God you have to make a decision on this because we are hopelessly divided as a nation on this issue.”
God bless courageous men like Corey Musgrave, and God have mercy on the United States of America.
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