Go Beyond

I met Ed (name changed to protect his identity) earlier this year when I was in South Asia. This former undercover narcotics officer now works on the staff of International Justice Mission. He coordinates the rescue of young girls trafficked to India to work in brothels. That’s tough work by any standard. But, Ed is a tough guy. As a younger man, he served as a rescue diver while in the Marines — jumping out of helicopters into dark and dangerous waters in order to rescue people in danger. Today, Ed is still rescuing people in danger, only now he dives into the vile cesspools of India’s brothels to rescue young girls drowning in the putrid sludge of the commercial sex trade. This is dangerous work on every level but is also a practical expression of God’s passion to rescue the oppressed. I’m grateful for unselfish people like Ed who have given themselves to “doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed, so that men of the earth may terrify no more” (Ps. 10:18).

This past Sunday Ed spoke to the people of Kingsland about the unfamiliar passions of God — His concern for the millions in our world who are crying out for justice. God used Ed to give us a glimpse of what life is like for young girls imprisoned against their will behind brothel doors. Ed cautiously opened the door to this dark world, but only slightly — just enough to allow us to peek inside to see the shadows of the incomprehensible evil that lurks there. But, it was enough to bring us to tears and to cause the muscles of our indignation to tighten. As Ed spoke I was reminded of the words of Samuel Pisar, a Holocaust survivor. Pisar said that “the Holocaust, which destroyed a people, teaches us that nature, even in its cruelest moments, is benign in comparison with man when he loses his moral compass and his reason.”

The world behind brothel doors is a world void of reason and whose shattered compass points only in one direction — to the greed of those who oppress young girls for profit. These heartless oppressors abuse the weak and vulnerable without restraint. The age of the victim is of no consequence to them. Ed told me that the youngest girl he has helped to rescue was five years old. Think about that for a moment — five years old! No one is safe behind brothel doors where the powerful feel that they can abuse the weak with impunity and, in these hiding places, kill the innocent (Ps. 10:8). One reason “the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire” and “curses and spurns the Lord” (Ps. 10:3) is because there are so few who are willing to venture into their dangerous world to rescue the innocent and to bring oppressors to justice.

Unless more people are willing to go into the dangerous world behind brothel doors, then the little girls held there against their will do not stand a chance. They will cry out for deliverance until they can cry no more. They will continue to suffer at the hands of the wicked — forced to service the sexual whims of multiple misogynistic customers every day. These girls need champions — they need individuals who will work “to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free” (Isa. 58:6). It’s not enough to be stirred by stories of injustice. Too many people are stirred but not changed. We must champion the cause of the oppressed and plunge into the turbulent waters threatening to drown them. We must pray for and unselfishly underwrite initiatives that break down brothel doors and set captives free. Please take practical steps to become more informed about the plight of sex-trafficking victims. And then, become a champion for those trapped behind brothel doors.

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Learn more about International Justice Mission by visiting their website. And, visit our Kingsland Justice blog to learn about what the people of Kingsland are doing to champion the cause of the oppressed.