The Children

Revised Edition for the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Article by

Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org

Here on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, many of us are mourning the loss of 50 million babies to legal abortion in the United States since 1973. To help the mourners, and to give hope in Jesus, Desiring God has put together this video especially for today.

There are biblical reasons for believing that all infants who die will be saved. This poem is a celebration of their wrecked and rescued lives. It is an invitation to believe in the grace of God and to act on behalf of the helpless.

God is the ultimate actor in life and in death and after death. And we are created to join him in acting on behalf of the children. “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

We were made to rescue the perishing — the guilty perishing from hell, and the innocent perishing from murder. The earliest known Christian document outside the New Testament said, “Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten” (Didache, 2.2).

Now is the time to venture something new. Will you dream with me? Let the poem make your heart soar with The Children to where vision is born.


Do you hear the children crying?
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.

Somewhere safe from all the dangers,
Somewhere safe from Crack and AIDS,
Safe from lust and lurking strangers,
Safe from war and bombing raids.

Somewhere safe from malnutrition,
Safe from daddy's damning voice,
Safe from mommy's cool ambition,
Safe from deadly goddess, Choice.

Do you hear the children crying?
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.

* * * *

Do you see the children meeting?
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, seating, eating, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
Why the milk no longer nourished,
Why the water made them sick,
Why the crops no longer flourished,
Why the belly got so thick.

Why they never knew the reason
Friends had vanished out of sight,
Why some suffered for a season,
Others never saw the light.

Do you see the children meeting?
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, seating, eating, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.

* * * *

Do you hear the children singing?
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.

Glory for the gift of living,
Glory for the end of pain,
Glory for the gift of giving,
Glory for eternal gain.

Glory from the ones forsaken,
Glory from the lost and lone,
Glory when the infants waken,
Orphans on the Father's throne

Do you hear the children singing?
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.

* * * *

Do you see the children coming?
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven's happy crowds.

Songs with lots of happy clapping,
Songs that set the heart on fire,
Songs that make your foot start tapping,
Songs that make a merry choir.

Songs so loud the mountains tremble,
Songs so pure the canyons ring,
When the children all assemble
Millions, millions, round the King.

Do you see the children coming?
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven's happy crowds.

* * * *

Do you see the children waiting?
I can see them all aglow
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting,
Who of us will rise and go?

Will we turn and fly to meet them
Will we venture something new?
I intend to rise and greet them.
Come and go with me, would you?