Pray for Freedom
Pray for Freedom
by Emily Miller, Writing Intern
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he writes to them: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.” This is Philippians 1:9-11 NIV, the verses that the Pray for Freedom event on January 25th was centered on. At this event, the Global Center for Women and Justice team and Vanguard faculty came together to pray for knowledge and insight to assist communities in the fight against human trafficking, and for God’s will to be done on earth through justice for the trafficked and exploited.One member of the GCWJ team, Derek Marsh, Associate Director for the GCWJ, prayed for “understanding of human trafficking so we can better identify potential victims and situations in which human trafficking may be happening”, and for “those who exploit and traffic others to experience the fear of the Lord, so they may cease their actions and liberate those whom they have victimized”. He also prayed that anti-human trafficking collaborations would “provide victim-centered, trauma-informed care and interventions”, and for many more people to “understand and have a passion to act against human trafficking within each person’s ways and means”. From Philippians 1:9-11, we know that godly knowledge, understanding, and discernment are essential to acting against human trafficking and ensuring justice for the trafficked. Without knowledge or understanding of the issues, and without discernment of how protect and liberate the trafficked, one cannot effectively fight human trafficking in a way that is victim-centered and trauma-informed. With knowledge, understanding, and discernment, we can then act as ambassadors of Christ to bring His justice and compassion to human trafficking survivors.As this year’s Pray for Freedom event has shown, prayer is a powerful tool for enacting God’s will and justice on earth as it is in heaven. As Dr. Morgan said at the event, “we are coming before the throne of heaven to advocate for the voiceless”. However, prayer must take place alongside action. James 2:17 NIV says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead,” and 1 John 3:18 NIV tells us to love not “with words or speech but with actions and in truth”. Due to the importance of being informed so that we may act, the GCWJ invites you to attend our Human Trafficking Forum on February 5th at 10 A.M. on Vanguard University’s campus for a discussion on global human trafficking trends with U.S. Ambassador Richmond. The link to RSVP is https://www.gcwj.org/events/ . Stay informed and take action; we’ll see you at the Forum!