Blogathon2012: #24 -Proverbs 31:8 - "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."

Today I have decided to do a repost of one of my most-viewed posts for people googling part of my Scripture reading today:
⁸ 

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

    for the rights of all who are destitute.

⁹ 

Speak up and judge fairly;

    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:7-8 (NIV)

Since then, my sister and close friend, Samantha, have moved to Cambodia to work with those who have 'no voice'.

Since then human trafficking has become quite a visible problem and has been in the media a lot.

We can all do something if the Holy Spirit so moves your heart.

Pray. Give. Advocate. Contact the agencies linked below to find out the needs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was dead silence when the video stopped. All you could hear was quiet sobbing. No one could move. Grief so palpable. We had all just witnessed a dramatic portrayal of what happens in the child sex slavery in Cambodia through the eyes of the little child who looked just like my friend's 9-yr-old daughter, except in real life, this child would likely have been as young as 5 or 6 years old. The little actresses were phenomenal. The fear and betrayal in their eyes wrenched your heart. It is so hard to comprehend the mind that can take a child and thoughtlessly ravage and savage their body and spirit. The organizations like http://www.ratanak.org/ and http://www.ijm.ca/ who are working to bring awareness to this abomination and rescue these children who are sold by their own parents presented this conference today. The members come from all walks of life. 
The problem is a world-wide horror with child porn videos and internet porn widely disseminated, many featuring children who have no voice, like those in Cambodia.

So what do I do with this knowledge? 
True compassion is moved to action. 
In my first two posts I spoke of how God had called me out of the pigpen to embrace His purpose for me. The ensuing year or two was anything but affirming that He had spoken. 
In fact circumstances brought up doubts and fear and second-guessing. 
Last night a friend shared with me at length of her own calling and how this been challenged on all sides. Today I heard one of the speakers articulating the same type of journey. It seemed like God is stirring the spirits of His children by bringing them to the point where circumstances do not deter His calling in their lives in any way. 
He is calling us to absolute trust. He is calling us to listen to His Voice alone and obey His Voice alone. 
As my friend shared, this can be a very isolated journey as we see Him stripping us of any comfort but His alone. When I experienced my time of climbing on His lap, the feeling of deep love for my Father surprised me. By all rights, I should have been feeling resentment, anger for the never-ending struggle that has seemed to characterize my life in my new country. 
Why did I feel such a deep love? It was because I knew I was loved by a Father so perfect that He fashioned my struggles to draw me into an intimacy with Him. I was created for Him.

Now that my calling and recent struggles have been put into the light of His will, I understand that He is working deep in my spirit as well and little by little He will reveal in His way and time what His plan is. Like our speaker who saw a beautiful flower in the middle of the brothels in Pattaya, Thailand and thought even in the midst of garbage, operating in the will of God makes a fragrant display, my desire is that I will hunger after my God, seek Him with all my heart, obey His voice and pour out His fragrance to all who hunger for it. 
For now, this blog is overflowing from a heart determined to trust and obey, a heart tenderized by the knowledge of His love. I have no idea how this is impacting for Him. My instinct is just to obey His prompting.

Father, I pray for Your little ones all around the world on whom the grossest of injustices is being perpetrated. May You surround them with the unseen wings of angels. Expose the perpetrators to those seeking justice for those who have no voice. Deliver these children and open hearts and doors to safe places for healing, rehabilitation and reintegration. Only You can reach into the deep recesses of their spirits and pour Your healing love. Do it, God. I pray for those trapped in the depravity of sin that allows them to treat Your little ones so callously. May Your Spirit open their eyes, convict them of their sin and bring them to repentance. Father, I pray for my friends who have heard Your voice calling them to Yourself and are now so weary of the uphill climb that has ensued. Not only are their limbs at the breaking point, they find themselves battling weapons hurled at them. Please, God, grant them a spacious place, a holy moment, an oasis, to know Your healing love, to run for a while, laugh and enjoy the life that You gave them. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Meditation: 2Corinthians 4: 7-12 (NIV)But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.