Have you ever prayed for someone you didn't know? Most of us probably have. Your friend's sick nephew, your neighbor's great aunt, the person being loaded into the ambulance as you drive past an accident. Just because they're strangers doesn't mean we can't whisper a prayer for them. Have you ever committed to intercede for a stranger, though? I'm guessing not as many hands are raised. About a month ago my church had a gathering for women in our community. We learned from a powerful Bible teacher and worshipped together as one Body. At the end of the night we also had the opportunity to take a card with a girl's name on it...a girl who has been (most likely) forced into prostitution. She is a slave, a victim of sex trafficking. The commitment was to pray "For Her" for thirty days. I'm not sure whose idea it was to find these girls' names, but it made all the difference for me. Mya, age 21. Funny how a name can instantly make someone less of a statistic and more of a person.
I first prayed for Mya on my way home that night. In that moment she became my sister, my niece, my best friend...she represented all the girls I know. If not for the grace of God, it could've been any of them. It could've been me. Over the next few weeks I learned how to pray for her. I would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night (not a normal occurrence for me) and pray, knowing that she was probably working.
At the end of thirty days (about a week ago), a small group of us gathered on a living room floor to pray together, sing, and thank God for what he had done and will do. There was no set agenda. We didn't need one. The Holy Spirit was in our midst and we simply followed his leading. Someone would say, "Let's pray about this right now," or "Let's talk about this for a minute," or "We need to get on our knees right now and pray for this." We shared dreams and visions and scriptures we believe the Lord gave us for our girls about their freedom and our responsibility. We prayed with faith, believing that our God is all-powerful and he hears us and he desires justice. We also confessed our disbelief because some days it was just plain hard. The task before us seemed too daunting, to dark. But we know that Jesus is the Father of Light and we pray to HIM. So we praised him anyway. My level of belief doesn't determine his worthiness of praise. Sometimes there are no words left, no more tears to cry, and the only way your head could possibly be lifted is by His tender hand underneath your chin. Could Mya even recognize such a loving gesture? I don't know how anyone could live a life like Mya's without eventually becoming numb. It's a defense mechanism, a way to stop feeling when the only feelings left are pain and desperation. I pray God gives Mya the courage to keep feeling so that she can feel the difference between a hand intended to harm and His hand intended to rescue. And I keep praising through my tears which I now recognize as grace.
My prayer as we concluded the evening was that Jesus would encourage us with good news before the night was over. Let us see a tangible victory. Only I didn't hear of any girls being rescued that evening. There were no news stories on twitter that another trafficker had received a sentencing. Honestly, by morning I had forgotten about my prayer.
If you were to ask me my favorite of God's attributes I would probably have a different answer every time. This week my answer comes easily: He's personal. He has known my name and Mya's name since before the foundation of the world. And because he is personal he hears our cries and he responds to us! There are girls all around the world who's every breath cries out for rescue. They may not even know it's Jesus that they want, but He created us to long for oneness with Him. When he created the Garden of Eden he never intended for Man to fall and the world to be overrun with evil. He knew it would happen but it was not his desire for us. We were created to live in communion with our Creator.
Sin gets in the way, though, doesn't it? I'm selfish and when I take my eyes off of Jesus I focus on petty desires and I'm fearful and long for things of this earth. With my gaze turned inward I sometimes feel that maybe He's not so personal after all. When I'm believing that lie, I don't want to pray and I surely don't want to praise. I lock my eyes on my insecurities until they become faith-slaying giants and I'm paralyzed with fear and a sense of isolation.
He knows that the way to recapture my attention and restore communion is to show himself to be profoundly personal. I don't know how God reveals himself to you, but for me it's usually through nature. In Luke 19:40 Jesus says, "I tell you, if these [disciples] were silent, the very stones would cry out." No less than five times this week, when I could feel myself succumbing to fear God used the skies to remind me who he is. From a stunning sunset to a lightening storm behind the veil of a billowing cloud to a full rainbow reaching across the horizon. I took them all personally.
If we truly believe that we serve a God who hears his creation and responds, then for crying out loud, let's bring our faith to our prayers! If I dwell on the issue of human trafficking and think about all 27 million (can you wrap your mind around that number?) people who are enslaved around the world, it's daunting. When our twitter feed or television delivers more stories of rape and injustice than it does of rescues and raids, the temptation to give up is often very real. How vital it is, then, to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Because we can't just do nothing while his creation cries out for rescue.
The prayer I forgot about, the one where I asked for a tangible victory? He answered me that night and I didn't even know it. I found out yesterday that at the very hour we were praying on that living room floor, a brothel here in Houston was raided. I'm still in awe. Praise you, Jesus. I came across Isaiah 65:24 this morning: "Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear." Amen. He delivers.
We have a responsibility, Church. I say this with all the tenderness I can muster, because I am speaking it mainly to myself: We have to step up and fight. We are in a war for souls. I'm not just talking about sex trafficking, although that is currently at the forefront of my mind. There are plenty of causes. Pick one. But for goodness sake, wearing a promotional t-shirt is only going to accomplish so much. (I'm not bashing the idea. I love my EndIt Movement shirt.) But all the awareness in the world is not a substitute for action. Action probably looks different for you than it does for me. We have different gifts and passions and resources. So let's leverage our diversity for the kingdom. And let's cover every single step with bold, faithFULL (not faithless), prayer.
He hears.
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."
1 Corinthians 4:20
***If you would like to get involved in the fight against trafficking, you can join the "For Her" Facebook page. Also, Elijah Rising is hosting the Justice Summit this weekend. Details here.
Y'all, right after I finished typing this post I saw via the A21 Campaign on Instagram that a 23 year-old man was rescued from sex slavery today. It's not just for girls. Thank you Jesus, for the reminder, and for your deliverance!
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