'The Esther Call' Attracts Over 4,000 Women in Prayer, Worship for Life
The birthplace of Roe v. Wade was the backdrop for a pro-life event on Good Friday called The Esther Call, which drew thousands of people from across the country to Dallas, Texas.
The Esther Call, named for the biblical figure Esther and her role in saving a nation, brought together over 4,000 women in prayer and worship for life and an end to abortion, and welcomed back 39 women who had walked 250 miles for 21 days for the Back to Life prayer walk. The event took place amid the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of the constitutionality of the president's health care law, which will offer insurance coverage for abortions.
Event director Tracy Eckert wrote in a blog post that "there has never been a national, all-women's gathering for this purpose in our nation."
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Eckert said that "many who have experienced the pain of abortion [released] their pain through confession, repentance, prayer and worship. As Queen Esther and Mordecai were given the signet ring by the King to act as magistrates of his authority, women will leave The Esther Call solemn assembly with a fresh resolve to defend life and work towards the abolition of the shedding of innocent blood."
Those at the event also heard from TheCall's Co-Founder Lou Engle and women leaders on the biblical figure Esther and the dramatic role she played in saving the Jewish people.
"Using Esther's example, women [are] encouraged to pray for the grace and strength to speak to the issue of life, and to ask for anointing and authority as they stand for justice," Engle said.
According to Gallup, the majority of Americans (51 percent) believe abortion is morally wrong.
"The time is now for mothers, daughters, sisters and grandmothers – the Esthers of today – to come together to weep over this national wound and to position our hearts to be healed so that revival will come to America," said Eckert.
The event's director also said that she believes "God is releasing millions of wounded women, who, through their confessions and testimonies will become the great deliverers for a generation. This is a moment in history that will galvanize the very foundation of the hearts of the virtuous American woman."
She believes the U.S. is in the midst of a huge cultural shift that will determine the direction the nation takes. She said women play an important role in this.
The founder of Back to Life, the group that held the 200+ mile prayer walk, agrees. Laura Z. Allred said the voices of women in their 20s and 30s are not always heard in the abortion debate, but they are the ones directly impacted by it.
According to the Back to Life website, "58 percent of total abortions in our nation are from the demographic of 20-something women; the abortion industry is specifically targeting them, and they are responding by sending a message of life in their generation."
All of the 39 women that took part in the walk are in their 20s and 30s. Some have had abortions and others are survivors of abortion. The Back to Life website states that these women "represent the stand for life in the midst of a culture of death."
