Go Beyond

   The Lord’s Prayer, also called the Model Prayer, is one of the best-known prayers in the Bible (Matt. 6:9-13). I memorized this prayer when I was a young boy attending a parochial school in San Antonio, Texas. This past weekend, I was reminded of one of the most important parts of that prayer — “deliver us from evil” or “deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13). With more than 27 million people trapped in some form of slavery today, the cry for deliverance from evil is one that ascends to heaven every minute of the day. Those of us who live in the relative safety of the West do not fully understand what it means to weep or to long for deliverance from evil. However, those who are enslaved and forced to do awful things in the obscurity of filthy places think about deliverance every day.

   This past weekend, I received word that sixty young girls who were caught in the web of the commercial sex trade in South Asia were rescued by champions of justice. I met with several of my friends last week to pray for this rescue operation. We prayed for the safety of those who would be involved in this dangerous rescue initiative. We also prayed that, through their efforts, God would deliver sixty young girls from evil. When we learned that two previous rescue attempts had to be aborted because someone had tipped off the brothel owners, we prayed with even greater urgency. And, we continued to intercede for the sixty young girls whom we have never met but whose lives matter.

   I am relieved that because of the bold initiative of some unnamed champions of justice, sixty girls have been delivered from evil and transferred to places of safety — places where they will receive the specialized care they need and deserve to put the pieces of their lives back together. When Paul described salvation to the church at Colossae (1:13-14), he described God as a rescuer: “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus came and stormed the dark domain of the evil one, delivered us, and transferred us to His own kingdom — a place where we have the remarkable opportunity to become new creatures. He delivered us from evil.

   Those of us who have been delivered from evil have a responsibility to pray for, to support, and to participate in initiatives that set free the captives and the downtrodden. Our prayers and actions must harmonize with the prayers and needs of those crying out for deliverance. I was especially moved by the report of one of the persons involved in the rescue initiative in South Asia. Here is what this champion wrote in an e-mail. Her words breathe life into what otherwise would be a statistic or a headline: Sixty Girls Rescued from Brothels. My friend wrote these words:

Before I left today, I spent some time with one particular girl who was sobbing bitterly. Through her tears she said that she did not have a mother, was deserted by a husband when she was pregnant, gave birth to a baby boy who is now nine, and has been working to support her son and father from a very small age. She is new to the trade and had been left here by some pimp. She kept repeating “Nobody loves me” and “That is why I ended up here. If someone had cared about me I would not have ended up here.” She said that even when her brother died she did not cry like this. Her tears were of relief and joy at being rescued but also shame and guilt for what she had been through. I am so glad that I had an opportunity to tell her that God loves her and that is how we came to find her. Her answer was, “I have called out to God so many times but he let me remain there.” I am happy that we get to be God’s hands and feet and be a part of this girl’s rejoicing.

   The young lady mentioned in this e-mail is one of sixty who was delivered from evil a few days ago. She is extremely fortunate. Her words remind me that deliverance from evil happens one person at a time. And, each person delivered from evil has a story to tell. However, as my friend suggests in her e-mail, deliverance may not happen unless we are willing to be God’s hands and feet. We must be willing to storm dark places to rescue the oppressed and bring them into the security of God’s love and hope. We must not forget the millions who are being held against their will in dark places around the world. We can help bring deliverance to them by praying for and financially supporting the work of those who champion justice. As a Christ-follower, I am determined to do just that.

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PS | Read about “Just Change” — a simple and practical way my friends and I are supporting justice initiatives. And, take a look at and subscribe to Kingsland’s new Kingsland Justice Blog.