it starts with Him: a 30 day prayer guide to end human trafficking vol 1 | Page 18

DAY 20

DAY 21

“The Lord looked and was displeased to find that there was
no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to
help the oppressed. So He himself stepped in to save them
with His mighty power and justice. He put on righteousness
as His body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on His
head. He clothed Himself with the robes of vengeance and
godly fury. He will repay His enemies for their evil deeds. His
fury will fall on His foes in distant lands. Then at last they
will respect and glorify the name of the Lord throughout the
world. For He will come like a flood tide driven by the breath
of the Lord.” —Isaiah 59:15b-19

“Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being
renewed day by day. For our light
and momentary troubles are
achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all. So we fix
our eyes not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen, since what is seen
is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal.” —2 Corinthians 4:16-18

This image is one of the most beautiful descriptions of Jesus in the Bible to me.
Throughout Isaiah we are told that Israel is being punished not because they
did not fast and sacrifice enough but because they did not take care of the
widow and the orphan. Israel did not free the op pressed. Israel did not feed
the hungry. She did not seek justice for those who could not seek it themselves
(Isaiah 58:6-7). But in captivity the same thing would happen to Israel and
Jesus would come to set the captives free.

Father—

Thank you that Jesus came to set us free. I pray that
as You look out over the world today, and You see all
the injustice, You also see Christians rising up to do
Your good work. I pray that the Spirit burns within us
for justice. That we can no longer sit idly by and watch
oppression and slavery go on around us. That You
would open our eyes and our hearts to the suffering
of others. That You would give us the courage to say
“Not on our watch”. Let the Spirit burn so brightly in
us that we would stand in the gap between the victims
and the oppressors. Use us to free the enslaved and
oppressed. And once they are free, may Your light shine
so brightly in us that the freed see You. That healing and
restoration are brought into their lives.

Submitted by Melisa Harrison.

Amen.

Dear Lord Jesus—

These verses are important to go back to when we feel
disillusioned by the chaos of this world. It is easy to get lost amidst
the wickedness and corruption and we forget to keep our eyes
fixed upon the hope that our God has provided us. In our hearts
we yearn for His Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, for
everything to be made perfect and just. However, the time simply
hasn’t come. If He made things right as of this moment, many
would not have the chance to be saved. He gives us mercy and
grace, even when we don’t deserve it.
At the same time, God still works as He patiently waits for us. For
He promises us that “He who began a good work in you will carry it
on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6) God reigns
over all things above and below. Therefore, we must not lose heart.

We admit that oftentimes we get so discouraged by the brokenness in this world that
we forget to look to You, Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Lord, we ask You
to teach us to fix our eyes upon You when we are easily distracted by what is around
us. Remind us that we are only able to do anything because You work through us
broken vessels, and instill in us Your strength and wisdom. Guide us and humble us.
We thank you for Your grace and establishment of justice in this world. May we trust
in You in the midst of it all.

Amen.

Submitted by Rachel Chang, a member of the Board of Directors for Transforming Hope Ministries. To learn more, visit
www.TransformingHopeMinistries.org.
DAY 22

"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave
room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to
avenge; I will repay." —Romans 12:19
I’ve always loved the idea of vigilante justice. It could be the story
of The Count of Monte Cristo escaping from prison and exacting
revenge on the people who unjustly put him there. It could be
the movie The Boondock Saints, where two brothers rid Boston of
evildoers. Or even Toby Keith singing about cleaning up the streets
in "Beer for my Horses."
The bad news is that vigilante justice isn’t exactly biblical. But the
good news is that I’m clearly not the only person who has ever
struggled with the desire to seek revenge, since Paul had to explicitly
remind us in Romans that vengeance is God’s privilege, not ours.
Submitted by John Stillman, CEO of Carolina Wealth Stewards and
co-owner of Third Wheel Media. To learn more, visit
www.CarolinaWealthStewards.com or www.ThirdWheelMedia.com.

Lord—

Help us to forgive not
only those who have
wronged us personally,
but also those who we’ve
seen take advantage of
others. Help us be a light
to the world, pursuing
justice and fairness for all,
while remembering that
revenge shouldn’t be our
goal.

Amen.