My Prayer For Rescued Victims

I have been studying the book of Genesis this year in BSF.  Last week we studied the well  known story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.  At the beginning of Genesis 37 we learn that Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob.  Jacob has given his most loved son Joseph an ornate robe.  We also learn that his brothers are jealous.  Verse 3 says they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.  They hated him so much that one day when Jacob sends Joseph to go check on his brothers they devise a plot to kill him.  They strip him of his ornate robe and throw him into a well.  A pit of despair.  No way to escape.  Disregarded.  Alone.  Unloved.

But rather than leave him for dead his brothers decide to sell him to some Midianite Merchants that are passing by.  Joseph is sold into slavery.

While studying this part of Joseph's life I began thinking how closely his experience parallels what a sex trafficking victim experiences.  Since most traffickers target girls with some sort of vulnerability (broken home, absent parents, abuse, etc.) she most likely did not come from a place of being the favorite.  But, like Joseph, she is sold into slavery.  Like Joseph, she too is stripped, but of her dignity.  She is thrown into a pit of despair. She has no way out. She is disregarded. She is alone. She is unloved.

But Josephs story didn't end with being sold into slavery.  He would eventually be exalted to the position of prime minister to the most powerful ruler of that day.  How did he survive?  Gen 39 vs 3 and 23 tell us but the Lord (BUT GOD) was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did.

I love all the verses in the Bible that begin with BUT GOD.  So many instances where there is tragedy, heartbreak or uncertainty.  And then you read the words BUT GOD.  It signifies a turning point or change of events or circumstances.  Do a search for BUT GOD verses sometime and you will be enriched just reading them.

My prayer is that every rescued victim would come to know that the Lord is with her.  That she would experience the true love and healing of Christ.  To know that she is precious in God's sight.  That she would rewrite the lies she has been believing. That she would be able to say "I was trapped in this horrific thing, BUT GOD has redeemed me!"  And that she is able to strike out the old and replace with the new. 

Instead of despair to have HOPE.

To stop feeling like there is no way out and to find FREEDOM.

To no longer feel disregarded and instead feel VALUED.

To know she is no longer alone, but that she has the HOLY SPIRIT in her.

Instead of feeling unloved to know that she is LOVED and CHERISHED.

And just like the song from Matthew West we need to toss out the name given to her by her pimp and have her say "Hello my name is child of the one true king."

 Hello, my name is regret

I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget
Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief
These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, and I have been set free
“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life
What love the Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King

~Matthew West

 

 

 

 

 

 

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