Talitha, cumi.

"Talitha, cumi" is the phrase used by Jesus to resurrect a man's daughter from her death in Mark chapter 5. He says to her, "Little girl, rise up".

If there was ever a phrase that spoke to what God has put on my heart, this would be it.

To understand the power of being called to rise out of our despair and spiritual death, we have to recognize how low that pit can be. The defenseless, the broken, the manipulated, the owned, the least of these. The modern day sex slave isn't so different from any girl that you or I know. She has a name, but it's doubtful she even refers to herself by that anymore. She secretly just wants to be told how beautiful she is, but she's afraid of that beauty because it's been marred by the lies of her clients and the abuse of the men in her life. She's dreamed of a day that rescue would come; a day that justice would be served. There was a life before her captivity. There was a time that she knew freedom. She goes to your school and lives down your street. Maybe she's been to your Church; maybe she didn't look like she belonged there. She's the scantily clothed woman in the grocery store that the Holy Spirit calls you to pray for. She's in jail for prostitution, but no one ever bothered to ask her if she had a choice in the matter. It's likely that she didn't. She's not an "other" an "unknown"--and she is not part of a "them". She is part of us, a part of God's creation and a part of our community. She's one of our own, and we are called to be a part of her solution. We are called to be a part of her story; a part of love's restoration in her heart. If the Church won't rise up to defend her, who will? Or are we so comfortable in our pews that we'd rather not deal with the girls being sold across the street?

Our God loves with a reckless, fierce, passionate love that is evident in the hearts of those who follow after Him. He is a righteous God of justice who provides a defense for the widow and is a father to the orphan. We are called, time and time again in scripture, to seek justice and be a voice for those who have been silenced. This is not optional; service doesn't earn you bonus points in Christianity--at least it shouldn't. God doesn't ask us politely to volunteer once a week at the local homeless shelter so we can cross it off our list and sleep better at night; He calls us to take up the cross daily and boldly follow after Him. We are not called to make ourselves martyrs, but we are certainly called to rejoice in any suffering we may encounter for the cause of Christ. Will we turn a blind eye, or will we pray? Will we act? Will we be the hands and feet of Christ to reach out to our sisters, broken and bleeding in dark rooms, in places known and unknown?

"Open your mouths for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" Proverbs 31:8,9

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's case" Isaiah 1:17

Maybe it's too inconvenient for you to take the time to think through the reality of trafficking. Maybe you'd rather ignore it or stay uninformed so that you won't have to face the facts that we have women and young girls being sold in our college town, in your home town, in your school, in your community. Maybe you'd rather believe that it only happens in other countries, or that we are merely a site of transport and not a part of the problem. As uncomfortable as it may be for you to reconcile these facts; it is far more uncomfortable to explain to women who have been brought out of captivity why their rescue took so long. Faith without works is just a belief in your head, without yielding to the calling in your heart.

This calling to serve, desire for justice, call to action--whatever you'd like to call it, is not a burden. It is the biggest blessing I could possibly ask for. Is there anything more amazing than being a part of God's heart for justice on this earth? Is there any calling more fulfilling than to love broken people, because we recognize our own brokenness and the healing God has brought us? All of creation groans in anticipation for the Gospel. The hearts and spirits of our sisters in slavery are broken. They are cold, bitter, and have had their hopes destroyed. They have been abused in ways that can and should always, always break our hearts. In the depths of their despair, Christ looks to them and says, "Daughter, rise up." He sends us out to declare that to them and to love them until they can learn to love themselves again.

I pray daily that the Lord would raise up bold men and women for this social injustice. I pray that He will cause a stirring in the Church that ignites our hearts to pray, and then to act. I pray that my sisters in bondage will be restored and healed to show the unending power of Christ's love. I pray that He would be glorified in our heart's cry for the defense and protection of our sisters still in captivity. I pray that He would grow this passion in us as we seek His will. I pray for the girls in Houston, Bryan, College Station, and Dallas--as they are surrounded by bystanders to their abuse, that they would have a hope that the Lord uses to sustain them until they are set free. I pray that the eyes of law enforcement in these cities would be opened as they see cantinas, massage parlors, motels, strip clubs, and street corners. I pray that they would have a righteous anger that leads them to act on behalf of our women and young girls. I pray that the Lord would continue to keep us poor in spirit and forever humbled by His grace that breaks our hearts, just as His is broken. I pray that my heart would never lose the desire to love my sisters and to proclaim that their time in captivity is over; that it is their time to rise up and be restored.

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness, he will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged until he establishes justice on the earth." Isaiah 42:1-4.

If you'd like some help in learning how to pray intentionally for this cause, I encourage you to use IJM's Just Prayer guide.

http://www.ijm.org/sites/default/files/IJM-Just-Prayer-Devotional-2013.pdf