When Life Matters Worldwide added Questions about Abortion to our website, we experienced a dramatic uptick in email inquiries from women around the world:

• My husband wants me to terminate this pregnancy. Will God forgive me if I abort?
• I've had an abortion because I was afraid. I'm feeling guilty. Please help me.
• I don't know who the father is and I can't forgive myself.

And this one really wrenched our hearts:

• Why wasn't I strong enough to go through with pregnancy?? Why didn't I trust God completely to help me??? Why was I so worried about what my parents would think or what the church people would say? I feel like I've failed God.... I just read a scripture about how God hates the shedding of innocent blood and that made me break down. Will I ever be able to forgive myself? I know God forgives us when we repent, but will I not have eternal life because of this?
  

Not only are problems on their minds, but also what God thinks. That's because we've made Him the focus of that section of our website. We start with this question: Does God care about your unplanned pregnancy? The following is how our website handles that question.

We know when life begins and how women get pregnant, but we still don’t know why. The answers to such questions as, “Why me?” “Why now?” (or “Why not me?”) are known only to God.

The Bible describes God as the Source and Author of life. He gives it and also takes it away. Each of us is completely dependent on Him for every breath.¹

No living thing exists without God’s involvement. There are no "accidental" pregnancies. Therefore we must consider Him whenever we think about the problems associated with an unplanned pregnancy:

• Why has He given this child life?
• Could He possibly have plans for your son or daughter?
• What is He doing in your life by giving you this baby?
• Can He supply your needs?

An example from the Bible

It’s helpful to look at the account of Hagar in Genesis 16. Here’s a woman who became pregnant in a tryst with her employer’s husband ... that was arranged by her employer! Talk about a #MeToo moment!

So she wasn't married to her baby’s father. When she got pregnant, she made the mistake of disrespecting the man’s wife. The wife–Sarai–her boss, then mistreated her.

Hagar fled the situation, leaving behind a job and home. She had no means of supporting herself or her baby. It all looked very bad until verse 7, where it says, “Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water.” Everything changed from this point. In this encounter, Hagar learned a lot about God:

• He knew her name
• He was interested in where she’s from and where she’s going
• He had a plan for her (go back to her employer)
• He told her how to behave in that awkward situation (submissively)
• He had great things in store for her (“I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count”)
• God had heard of her misery

How many tears had Hagar cried? How many sleepless nights had she endured? How many worries did she have on her mind? God knew them all. In short, God loved her. And He loved her baby:

• God knew the child existed
• God knew the sex of the child (male)
• He had a name for him (Ishmael)
• He knew the boy’s personality (wild and aggressive)
• He foretold the boy’s future

Does God care about you?

Hagar was amazed by God, as we all would be if we knew He paid that kind of attention to us. Oh, but He does! Everything that was true of Hagar and her son is also true of you and your baby:

• God knows you and your baby by name
• God knows all your pains and troubles
• God is interested in where you’ve been and where you are going
• God has a plan for you and your baby
• God can help you navigate difficult and awkward situations
• God has great things in store for your future

God's design

Because Hagar and Abram were not married, she was in an insecure situation. One of the reasons God intends sex and pregnancy take place within marriage is to provide security for women and babies.

So why did God allow Hagar to get pregnant while Abram's wife struggled with infertility for many years? We don't know. And we don’t know why Hagar was able to meet God directly while Sarai seemed to only know Him through her husband.

These are some of the great mysteries of the Bible. But we learn in the rest of His word that God had a plan in mind that was bigger than any one of these individuals alone. Still, each person was important to God. And so are you!

Your pregnancy is an opportunity to grow in faith and learn the great lesson that Hagar, Abram, and Sarai learned: Nothing is too hard for God. (Gen. 18:14)

Endnotes:
1. Genesis 2:7; 1 Samuel 2:6; Psalm 104:27-30; John 5:26; Acts 3:15, 17:28

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Our website provides an email link through which they can contact us, and in our counsel we offer to help them find a pregnancy care center near them.

We know of several babies whose lives were saved because their mothers visited our website and bravely asked for help. Praise God for the opportunities He's given us to share truths from His word with them.

Would inserting biblical language into your client website be appropriate? That's a question for your center's leadership. Nevertheless God is on the minds of many women who are considering abortion.

Related:
God sees the pregnant woman
Will God forgive me if I have an abortion?
Can women who've had abortions be right with God?