First Choice-Prayer

First Choice—Prayer By Virginia Douglas-Rommel December 7, 2007 The Air War of Dec 7, 1941 brought a hail of death and destruction to Pearl Harbor. The Air War of Dec. 7, 2007 was under the radar, too. On the street in the 800 block of E. Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas a multicultural group of prayer warriors engaged in a late night aerial bombardment on abortion in America. In the dark, cold winter night a group that looked to be a 100 people strong crowded into a tight circle with hands extended and touching. They chanted in Spanish and English, “I repent of my sins and the sins of my nation. I plead the blood of Jesus Christ on my sins and the sins of my nation, Lord Jesus cover my sins and the sins of my nation with the blood of your cross and remove abortion from America.” The prayer warriors crowded inside First Choice Pregnancy Center and filled all the rooms with intercession for the tiny staff of women who daily battle for the lives of the unborn. A handful of women staff the office, administer the sonograms, and offer “help and resources to women in unplanned pregnancies in a Christian life-affirming way.” They are equipped with a sonogram, information, love, and the armor of God. It is a unique strategy to daily confront the coalition of dark social and personal forces that make of a woman’s body a battleground between physical survival of child or mother’s ostensible social viability. The air war of prayer breaks the strongholds of spiritual darkness so that the staff with boots on the ground can move in and save babies one at a time. At the same time the mother’s needs command loving care and concern as resources are marshaled to meet the crisis in her life. In partnership with donors, churches and social services, the volunteers and part-time paid staff are able to leverage the vital resources to save tens of thousands of lives. They operate in the miraculous hour by hour. Thus, the first thing is prayer, the second thing is prayer and the third thing is—prayer. Just as Billy Graham explained the success of his crusades, the phenomenal success of First Choice is suspended on this spiritual dimension—bringing God’s will to earth by unity in the Spirit and fervent prayer of those whose sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. The power is in the presence of God. Carla, pastors from the church on the street, and the youth who worship there gear up for this spiritual air war through worship before the mission. People are being added to this group without any deliberate publicity. Seeded during the Call, Las Vegas, that was led by Lou Engle at the Thomas & Mack Arena, in October this year, a young Hispanic woman was moved to begin praying at the front line of battle. To a witness like me, in her sixties, this prayer movement is infused with the passion of youth and immigrant Hispanic, but it is in the unity of the Holy Spirit that the manifest work of God is made known to all who come to see where the power of the future of America truly lies. For His Glory