Speak up!

The Message

Do you ever read The Message Bible?  Every year I try to choose a new translation of the Bible to read through for the year and this year I’ve chosen The Message.  It’s a great version of the Bible to give to someone who struggles with understanding the Bible.  It reads like a conversation.

This morning out of curiosity, I flipped to a couple of verses God has placed heavy on my heart to see how they read.  The verse I’ve been chewing on the past week or so is Proverbs 31:8,

Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers.”

The NIV translates the same verse this way,

Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”

This verse has become very near and dear to me because I feel it is our call as a people. We are to stand up and speak out for those who aren’t able to speak for themselves.

When I read that verse, I immediately thought of the young girls I’ve come to know through writing Rescuing Hope. They have a voice, but their voice isn’t heard. They’ve been silenced by pimps, johns, and in some cases society. They’ve accepted their condition as their lot in life and feel like there couldn’t be anything else out there for them.  They’re trapped without bars. It’s a level of helplessness that is hard to understand for many. God has called us to speak up for them and fight for them.

There are so many ways we can do this. Today, sixty thousand high school seniors and college students are in the Georgia Dome for the Passion 2013 conference, which is taking a stand against human trafficking.

Passion 2013
Photo by: Jeff Miller

• They are collecting money that is given to ministries and organizations across the globe fighting human trafficking. Last year they collected 3.3 million dollars for the fight.
• They are creating awareness as the students gain education on the issue and are equipped to share what they learn with others.
• They pray for the victims of trafficking, for those fighting on the front lines and for the captures to come to know Jesus.
• They’re doing what they can with what they have.

God doesn’t expect any one of us to do everything, but He’s called us all to do something.  What will you do? How will you respond to the call?