Prayers for Our City: March 9, 2020 – Family
“Lord, You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely You will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.” Psalm 10:17-18 NLT
We are so thankful this week, Father, for the wonderful report about the human trafficking attempt that was thwarted at our Huntsville International Airport because employees have been trained to recognize the ways human traffickers lure their intended victims into trafficking situations. (See full account here at WHNT.com.) Oh Lord, give us those alert, discerning eyes to see and ears to hear things when we are out in public so if we see something suspicious we will say something to proper authorities.
Oh God, we are so sorry and grieved that human trafficking is the world’s fastest-growing illegal activity and that North Alabama has become a hot spot for it. (See the National Human Trafficking Hotline website for the reported activity/statistics in Alabama for 2018.) The various interstates that connect Huntsville and this region to major cities make it a hub for all who investigate and prosecute traffickers.
Thank You for the work being done by the North Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force led by Pat McCay. (Please visit www.STNOW.org to find out how to help on a local level or to schedule a speaker.) Protect and use this group, Lord, as they work with law enforcement to prevent this modern-day slavery problem and raise awareness in the community about how to recognize the signs. Give Pat and the team favor to speak in area school districts to warn our students of the subtle traps traffickers use to work their way into a young person’s life (especially on the internet). Traffickers will use their victim to recruit others, sending the kids into the schools to recruit other kids that come from unstable backgrounds and dysfunctional homes. Oh Lord, we’re crying out for the protection of our children and deliverance of all people caught in this darkness!
Learn how to add advocacy to your intercession. Visit Sharedhope.org to end child sex trafficking in our nation.
Thank You for the Crisis Services of North Alabama which offers their support to victims including examinations by forensic nurses, a 24/7 Helpline (256-716-1000) and emergency shelters. Fill these workers with your compassion and may their words release hope into victims.
Thank You for Lynn Caffery, the Executive Director of Safe Harbor Youth. Thank You, Lord, for rescuing and restoring her life to be a rescuer of others. (Be sure to watch the video of her testimony!) Empower this organization as it works to get homeless teens off the street before a trafficker gets them first. We praise You that in its first four years this transitional home has ministered to 70 youth (with only one returning to the streets!). We also bless all others who are working to provide shelter and recovery from human trafficking, including Budding Hope Ministries working to establish a safe home for rescued children under 16.
If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, DO NOT attempt to rescue the victim yourself. Call your local Police Department, the FBI, or the National Hotline 1-888-373-7888.
Our ultimate hope is in Your arm that is mighty to save, Oh God!
“Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce? But this is what the Lord says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.” Isaiah 49:24-25 NIV
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