You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (Psalm 56:8)
Read: Isaiah 10:1-11:16, 2 Corinthians 12:11-21, Psalm 56:1-13, Proverbs 23:6-8
Relate: The Centre for Social Justice issued a report highlighting the slave trade in the UK and making recommendations on how to combat it. In this report, they highlighted a girl who was recently rescued out of the human slave trade. She didn’t come from a risky background or a broken home. What put her at risk was that as a sixteen-year-old she had enough compassion to befriend and care for girls who were being abused. This brought her into the radar of some evil men and they abducted her. To break her will they raped her. 90 times. In one weekend. This didn’t happen in a dusty alley of some third world street. It happened in the UK. It is happening in NY, and Chicago, and LA, and Atlanta… and right where you live.
React: There are certain things that go on in this world that make me ask, “God, where are You?” There are certain stories I read, or hear that make me wonder, “God, what are You doing?” He is catching every tear and treasuring them. Each broken heart breaks his own. You see, God doesn’t go back on His word. Way back at the beginning of the story God gave us dominion over the earth. (Genesis 1:28) He made us in his image. (Genesis 1:26) The Hebrew word for image, tselem, means shadow or reflection. If we are God’s reflection then we should be doing what He is doing. If we are His shadow we should be going where He is going.
The word also connotes authority. God has chosen to operate through us. When He chose to redeem us all from the bondage of sin, He became human to accomplish the task. When He freed the Israelites from bondage, He worked through Moses. Every miracle God performed happened when an obedient representative of Him was willing to step out in faith. There are 27 million victims today still caught in the bondage of slavery. I can sit on my couch, with my laptop open before me and ask, “God what are You doing?” But He is holding that child close, catching her every tear and asking me, “What are you doing?”
Respond:
Dear God,
Help me to find ways to act. The first and greatest thing I can do is pray and that I do now. Raise up leaders who will bring an end to this evil. Raise up politicians who will put justice before convenience. Raise up lawyers who will devote their lives to defending the powerless. Raise up women like Rachel Lloyd who are gifted in meeting the victim where they are and bringing them to someplace better. Raise me up. Don’t let me ever be content while that 27 million has been reduced to zero. Help me to find practical ways to put feet to my prayers. Like Moses, let me be Your image to my world.
Amen
THE RIVER WALK 
.in the name of Jesus. Amen
I feel very inspired by your thoughts. May God give us all the strength and courage to do good in this world. My prayers and best wishes for you who feels the pain of other human beings. God bless you.
This was so full of love and compassion, in a world where it seems as tho their respect for humanity has gone to almost nothing but a memory. I thank God connecting with like minded brothers and sisters, who have taken the responsibily to pray and pray for a out pouring of Gods love.
Thank you for blessing my life today
May God use you as you have so prayed.
I’m praying that God will keep you here on this side for as long as you desire. Thank you for the insight and reminder of our role.
Hard to read this story but thanks for sharing. It is so much easier to put on blinders, but God reminds us daily, the needs are great: pay attention. IB
I love this post, love the song, and wholeheartedly applaud your good heart and social sensitivity.
It is however my increasing concern that the majority of the Christian youth- ie those with the highest potentials, courage and sense of morality – are merely praying for a better world, whereas the ultimate pillar of all democracies is the active, critical and participating civil sphere shaping a society’s direction. It is exactly the lack of such active civil sphere in the leading Western societies that caused the shift towards dysfunctional economics and undemocratic politics WORLDWIDE.
Prayer is great, but alone will not be enough. We will need educated, active, determined and incorruptible future leaders who have the courage and creativity to turn the world’s trend around, to develop an effective resistance against the stabilising authoritarian powers and organise real democratic bodies in their place. To begin with we need more blogs joining the effort of raising the awareness of this, otherwise in the very near future all of us will be enslaved, but our children will surely be.
Quote:
“This didn’t happen in a dusty alley of some third world street. It happened in the UK. It is happening in NY, and Chicago, and LA, and Atlanta… and Binghamton.”
I think you are unaware how hurtful this may sound to those from the third world … (I am not one, btw, I can just imagine …)
In my view the reason of what is happening in UK, NY – and what will – is exactly because it didn’t matter much while it “only” happened in those dusty alleys of some third world street.
The nits that you have chosen to pick have been duly noted. This blog in no way implies that this is an important issue because this is now happening in the West and not “just” some underdeveloped countries. Neither is it simply a prayer without a call to action. If that is all you were able to see in what I wrote then I apologize for not being more clear.
Thank you for your reply. I apologise if that’s how you read my comments.
(Please note my first one as well).
In the second I didn’t mean to write anything to hurt you or disagree with your cause.
I merely pointed out a perspective that you may not be aware of.
As for the Christian world-wide actions against the global dictatorship forming above our heads, please let me know where and how to join them (websites, blogs, and/or physical addresses), as I would love to, in addition to pursue my own initiatives. I do apologize for my ignorance in such matters, but I have recently started my research on this, and I hear and see no Christian organizations mobilizing in that direction.
The ministry I have longest been aware of and behind is Project Rescue: http://www.projectrescue.com/
Dave Battstone’s book Not For Sale is a great read to both open eyes to the issue and resource ways to fight it. http://www.amazon.com/Not-Sale-Return-Global-Trade/dp/0061998834
I know of nothing in my home town but do support GEMS in nearby NYC. http://www.gems-girls.org/
Most major urban centers in the US/Canada/UK have a (few) local organization(s) and I’m sure a quick google search will find them for you. Give them a call, take someone from there out for coffee to let them know you appreciate what they’re doing and ask how you can help. I’m positive they will have plenty on their table and will put you to work.
it is through the perfect love of Our Heavenly Father, and our humble commitment to be vessels of and spreaders of that love, that we will change the world. The unfathomable mystery to me is that Jesus Christ has taken the sin of those 90 rapes upon himself and salvation would be possible for those who committed them, if they were to repent and believe. I still struggle to wrap my arms around that kind of forgiveness and love.
I agree that this was a difficult yet powerful read. My heart breaks for those who are subjected to such evil. A good reminder that things like this do happen in our towns and even next door and that we can do something about it. I agree that prayer is where we need to start to know what actions God wants us to take as we will not all be able to respond in the same ways and our efforts will fail, no matter how good our intentions are, if they are not aligned with God.
so beautiful. thank you for sharing.
such a beautiful and painful post at the same time. thanks for sharing. God bless you!
“God has chosen to operate through us.” Amen and thank you so much for this.
Good stuff!
I love that slavery is gaining increasing traction as an issue in our day worthy of attention. It is monstrously awful that we’ve allowed it to become so prevalent before acting and that we’ve waited for it to come to our own shores and neighborhoods before it resonated with us as inhumane and against the cause of Christ. But we are where we are – we MUST keep this issue front and center and keep it there as long as it needs to be!
I appreciate the reminder that God works through us. We’ve been given faith for that reason, “your faith has made you well”.
Talk about “blinders” thank you for helping me reach outside of my own little corner today. Praying for all those who are slaves and who traffic them. Thank you for the powerful message.
This is perfect:
If we are God’s reflection then we should be doing what He is doing. If we are His shadow we should be going where He is going.
Thank you. 🙂
God bless your mission! I did a blog for my readers. I hope it reflects your goals. I’m praying for your congregation.
http://whereiblogonblogging.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/where-two-rivers-meet/
Please let me know if I got it right.
All good,
Frank.
We are the arms and feet of God who should act against these monstrosities. Thank you for this post.
Oh the horrors 😦 I almost threw up when I found out there are paedophile farms in Europe! The thing I want to do soon is organise a massive world wide fast for these children and women.
I was interested to read about Hannah, the UK-born girl you mentioned who was abducted and forced into slavery. My impression had been that a lot of the time, slaves in the western world are kept by the threat of force, but not necessarily the threat that their masters will do anything directly to them; if they’re illegally in a western country (deliberately, or because they were deceived or forced into going there), they may be just as afraid of what the government might do to them if they try to escape or speak up about their situation. But Hannah, being born in the UK, was presumably in no doubt that she was there legally.
Still, on page 126 of the CSJ report, they quote a police officer saying “To the girls, the police are not to be trusted but the offenders are”. I wonder why.
Because police and law enforcement still have the mindset that the girls being forced into prostitution are criminals, not victims. I know this attitude is common in the states and the legal system still deals with them from this standpoint. I assume the same is true in the UK as well.
speech of tears not reach to the ears of our so called leaders
Society has to make a rule of law . rule of custom. that day is very near
Half of the world gripped it’s fist. nothing comes across their March to secured life
very inspiring post
thank u very much
with regards
advocatemmmohan
All I can say is thank you.
Tears are prayers too. They travel to God when we can’t speak. Psalm 56:8
What a beautiful, poignant post. I join you in your prayer.
How beautiful! God bless you, and I pray for peace.
Wonderful post! Often we feel helpless to do something about evil and the pain and suffering in the world simply because there is so much of it around! But we have to start somewhere…
I echo the wonderful prayer above. Great post!
Yes, AMEN!! Love it!!
Some really great thoughts. Thanks for challenging us as people of faith with this information. We have to act now.
Am challenged. Am also encouraged by the scripture at the begining of your post. It reminds of a song by Don Moen,
“He knows my Name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call”
A very thought provoking writing, BJ, God bless you and your ministry.
Where do you get your great graphics?
Where I can find them. About half are photos I take myself. All of them I adapt to fit The River Walk.
Humbling and powerful. Thank you, Beejai!
Powerful!