# 330 For Those Struggling With Forgiveness After Abortion

The Book of Genesis

Day 330

Ge 35:16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor.  17 Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also."  18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

Jacob’s beloved Rachel dies while giving birth to Benjamin. Her life story had been centered around a desire to gift her husband with many children. Even in her death due to her hard labor with Benjamin, she sought assurance that the baby was going to be okay.  In that sense, she was pro life. Children meant much to her.

Please note that this love of children does not stop here with the birth of Benjamin. There is more to her story.  She gets mentioned again in two other significant places in the Bible.  In  Jer 31:15 we read, “Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more." This prophecy was fulfilled and written about in the second chapter of Matthew as Herod went forth and put to death all the male children who were in or near Bethlehem from two years old and younger.

So Rachel’s name lives on and is forever associated with those who weep and mourn over the loss of children. Even today, Catholic Social Services has a program to help women dealing with post abortion syndrome. Those women and men who weep for the loss of their aborted children and struggle with being comforted because “they are no more.”  The program is called “Project Rachel.” It’s goal can be summed up at the end of the prophecy in Jeremiah, where  God promises to “replenish every sorrowful soul.”

After hearing these words from the Lord, Jeremiah announces that  his “sleep once again became sweet.”

(Jer 31:25 "For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul."

 26 After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.

If you are a post aborted woman or man, I pray that you will hear that promise from God today! I pray that you will be replenished as you turn to Him in your sorrow and receive His merciful forgiveness and that your sleep will once again be made sweet.