Interstate 20 in Georgia
Have you signed up to be a part of Circle Atlanta for Hope yet? I have been so blessed to see the number of people sharing the website information and challenging their friends to be a part of it.
This is an event that everyone can be a part of, young and old. It is a way families can teach their children about the power of prayer. This is a way for the elderly to engage in the fight.
As I was praying for the event this morning, I asked God to help people understand the importance and power of prayer in the anti-trafficking movement. He reminded me of a blog post I wrote two years ago about the part prayer played in the fight. Here’s an excerpt from that post.
A friend of mine stood in church yesterday and shared how God answered a prayer she’d been praying for some time now. She has family in south Georgia she visits fairly regularly. This trip takes her up and down interstate 20. Since she makes that trip alone, she tends to use the time as prayer time.
In the past couple of years, she’s become aware of the issue of human sex trafficking in America and specifically in Atlanta. Being the mighty intercessor she is, she uses her travel time to cry out to God to free those held in captivity. She prays specifically for law enforcement to become vigilant in their work to free young girls who are bought and sold for another’s gain.
Last week her prayers were answered when alleged Decatur sex trafficker, Johnathon Nathaniel Kelly, was stopped for a routine speeding ticket and a 17 year old girl was found in the car with him. The officer, who had been trained in the sex trafficking victim indicators, was able to act swiftly, rescuing this young girl who had been trafficked for over five years. You can read more about the case here.
As my friend praised God for the rescue of this young girl, thanking Him, she heard Him say, “Thank you.” It was only then she remembered the countless times she prayed for this to happen as she has journeyed up and down the very road where the rescue took place.
Prayer turns the heart of God. While we may feel our prayers are insignificant at times, they are powerful. James 5:16 tells us,
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
There are many people who learn of this evil taking place in our nation and feel overwhelmed or powerless to do anything about it. I completely understand. The magnitude of modern day slavery is incomprehensible; however, ignoring it will not make it go away. We have to unite as one if we want to see it come to an end. We were given power and authority to set the captives free [Isaiah 61;1-3, Psalm 146:7, Matthew 10:8, Luke 4:18, ]. Prayer lays the groundwork for this.
You can read the whole post here.
Praying on our own is a powerful thing for certain; however, praying with others increases the power behind our prayers exponentially. A visual of this is the Mississippi River.
The Mississippi River is the second largest in the U.S. It expands across 2,340 miles of land. It starts at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and travels all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Those who live along the banks of the river often have to fear its high tides and extremely powerful waters.”
How did the Mississippi River get so large and powerful? Because it has multiple tributaries, smaller rivers and creeks, that feed into it. As each creek and river spills into the Mississippi River with its water and force, the size and force of the Mississippi River increases.
The same thing happens when we add our prayers to others for the same issue. Matthew 18:19-20 says,
Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
It’s time to cry out to the Lord and invite Him into the situation. It is time to call out in one unified voice for those who have been silenced. It’s time to raise your voice for hope.
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