Two years ago I was invited by a friend of mine Tomas Lares, director of Florida Abolitionist to go down to Miami during the Super Bowl and help him with a special outreach event against Human Trafficking. At the time I had ten years background in the Prayer Movement and had prayed for many different issues of Injustice, but Human Trafficking was relatively new to me and seemed foreign and I hate to admit it, but a little over-hyped. Let’s face it, we live in a victimized and over-sexed society. Human Trafficking? Really? In America? At the time I figured I was just going to Miami to minister to the Prostitutes and pray for the Police department. I was so ignorant. As I walked the streets of Miami praying I was confronted with a 13 year-old boy being ‘pimped out’, a young teenage Russian girl standing in the doorway of an abandoned building with a ‘For Lease’ sign in the window strategically placed where she was standing. A child was being moved from one motel room to another with video equipment following and adults flanking both sides. I quickly realized that Human Trafficking was NOT a fancy word for Prostitution, but in-fact the average age of entry into Prostitution is 13 years old. This is almost never by choice, but through coercion, abuse and manipulation.
That one weekend was so much more significant in my life than what I was prepared for or could imagine. God had done more than plant a seed in me, He had taken me face t0 face with the ugliness of humanity so that I could understand the Human Condition and our true need for Justice.
After 12 years in the prayer movement now I’ve spoken to many churches and groups about the need for prayer and intercession. How Jesus proclaimed the words of Isaiah, “my House shall be called a House of Prayer for all Nations!” I’ve talked about the beauty of God and the intimacy of our Bridegroom King, I’ve talked about the “Fire on the Altar” never going out. I’ve explained how prayer is ‘relationship with God’ and how He longs for fellowship with us. While all of these things are good and have produced results, I’ve never seen more people come together in specific, focused and scriptural prayer than I have with the cause of Modern Day Slavery.
Over the past two years I’ve been honored and humbled to serve as and Ambassador for Florida Abolitionist, and since that time I’ve seen first hand the importance of the place of prayer when it comes to ending this evil. William Wilberforce, who was an abolitionist who lobbied in the British Parliament to end the African Slave Trade in Europe identified 3 areas of importance when it comes to being an Abolitionist. 1. Prayer 2. Awareness 3. Funding. Indeed, all three of these things are just as relevant today, and I’ve found that prayer ALWAYS leads people into greater Awareness and drives them to generous giving.
As YOU pray for Justice in Human Trafficking please remember to pray for these specifics:
Victims – Pray for their safety, their identity and sense of self-worth. Pray for divine encounters with God that will sustain them and give them hope. Pray for their rescue and restoation.
Traffickers – Pray for God’s righteous Judgement. Pray for a softening of their hearts to see humanity and have compassion. Pray for a divine Encounter with Jesus Christ. Pray that God would tear down their God of materialism and need to feel ‘empowered’. That they too would have a greater sense of identity and self-worth, seeing life and destiny in the eyes of their victims.
Customer – Pray for a breaking of their addictions and for compassion in their eyes to see the true plight of the victims they are using. Pray for a Fear of God and Justice to rest upon their hearts, that God would soften their hearts and heighten there conscience. Pray for divine Encounters that would led them to repentance.
Law Enforcement – Pray for greater education and awareness of our law enforcement as many of them are unaware of what is taking place in the streets – having the traditional mindset of Prostitution and Brothels just being a part of crime and vagrant society.
Legislation and Judicial System – Pray for tough and specific laws to be put in place that punish the Trafficker and the Customer. Ask God to convict the hearts of our prosecutors to actually help ENFORCE the laws.
Ministries and Organizations – Pray for protection, purity, a continued tenderizing of their hearts so as not to become numb to the topic. Pray for financial support and volunteers willing to serve.
On this National Human Trafficking Awareness Day I pray that each of you who reads this are encouraged and blessed to know that YOU can be part of the solution through prayer.
