The sermon in church yesterday was about being a pro-life people.  It was a welcome reminder about God’s design and love for each life.  And it made me think about not just those lost to abortion, but to those mothers (and fathers) who made such a devastating choice for their child.  While I know that there are those who, sadly, have never felt remorse or regret for their decision, my guess (and what others have said to be so) is that many are left with tremendous guilt.

I was thinking about this in light of the gospel.  I thought about how, as good as the news of God’s grace and forgiveness is, it can be so hard to receive and really walk in on a daily basis.  I wondered how someone gets past the grief of having participated in the death of an innocent child, to find the freedom that is promised in Christ.

As I prayed and thought about it, I was reminded of King David – his adultery with Bathsheba, her pregnancy, the murder of Uriah, and the judgment God brought on them in the death of their son.  While not exactly the same scenario, it is a story of sin and consequence.  David did things that were abhorrent in the eyes of the Lord.  Two innocent people died.  David and Bathsheba suffered a very real and deeply painful repercussion in the loss of their son.

But, there was repentance and forgiveness.

The relationship between David and the Lord was not lost.  And the biggest thing I saw as I thought about this story is that God used it for good…for Israel, and for all of humanity.  This adultery, this pregnancy, this murder of Uriah, led to David taking Bathsheba as his wife.  She later bore him Solomon, whom the Bible says was wiser than any who came before or after him, who built the temple for the Lord, who was a blessing to the nation of Israel.  And generations later, from the lineage of Solomon, Jesus was born.  The sin-soaked story was turned to one of purpose and redemption and hope.

The child, lost to his parents, was, nevertheless, used by God.

It is an amazing picture of God’s love and faithfulness to David, even in the face of David’s failings.  It is God proving Himself and His purposes greater than our sin.  It is a glimpse at God’s heart to restore and redeem and bring something beautiful from the ugliest of circumstances.  I pray that this grace -that goes beyond even the freedom from sin’s consequence, that establishes destiny in the midst of failure – would sink deep into the hearts of those who have felt the tormenting sting and condemnation that comes with the choice to end a life.  In this grace – in this God – is abundant life, peace that passes knowledge and joy unspeakable.  His goodness is beyond comprehension.