DAY 4
“ But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”— Acts 26:16-18
Jesus commands Paul in these verses to bring His message of hope to those who are living in darkness. While engaged in the fight against trafficking, I often feel that the darkness surrounding those involved in exploiting others is overwhelming. I pray for God to remind me that the perpetrators of trafficking need God’ s grace and salvation just as much as the victims and each one of us do. Often, the perpetrators of trafficking have been victims themselves – of trafficking or other exploitation or abuse. Always, each one of them is caught in Satan’ s snare.
Through our trust in and reliance on the power of Christ, I know we – those joining God in the fight against trafficking – can move in the lives of those who are living in the darkness of trafficking. We can pray that God uses us as vessels to bring His message of love and redemption to those who may believe they have little hope for salvation.
Dear Heavenly Father—
I pray that You would open the eyes of those engaged in trafficking and show them the truth that is Your light, to see through the lies of the enemy. I pray that You would open their eyes and hearts and wills to behold You in all of Your glory. Please open my heart to love and pray often for the traffickers, knowing that You can redeem anyone who believes in You and comes into Your presence humbly asking for forgiveness.
Amen.
Submitted by Heather Pane Seifert, a member of the Board of Directors for Transforming Hope Ministries. To learn more, visit www. TransformingHopeMinistries. org.