The Wars We Wage

            We just finished celebrating our nation's independence from The British Empire.  An independence we were willing to go to war to accomplish.  Since then, the U.S. has been at war 93% of its existence.  We've fought both the invaders and those they invaded.  We've fought both communists and terrorists.  In 240 years, America has enjoyed only 22 years free from war.  We the people are heavily invested in war.
            Now, before you lose your contact lens from that heavy eye-roll, just hear me out.  This isn't an "anti-war" piece.  I'm actually "pro-war".  It all depends on the war that's being waged and how it's being waged.   There are wars I can totally get behind.  I'll wage war against racism.  I'll wage war against poverty.  There is one particular war for which God recruited me to fight.
            I first heard about human trafficking at a men's conference back in 2006.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  Slavery.  Sex slavery.  Is this really happening right now on our planet?  Are women and children really being sold into slavery to be used to satisfy men's selfishness, greed, and lust?  Are children really enduring such evil tonight?  And are we really not waging war against this evil?  An estimated 20 million people are enslaved around the globe today.  Yes, you read that number correctly.  20 million.  It blows my mind.  My mind is blown that this evil exists, but history reminds me that we are indeed capable of this kind of evil. 
            Well, I won't begin to speak of our government's role in this kind of war.  I don't make decisions for Uncle Sam.  Whether or not our country should be sending troops into Indonesia, India, and Eastern Europe to wage war against slavery isn't something I pretend to know about.  But I do pretend to know about what the Scriptures say about these things (wait...did I say that right?).  James 1:27 states "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  Now, who is more an orphan than a child either stolen or tricked into leaving their family or even sold by their parents into slavery?  Who will fight for them?
            As a Jesus follower, I'm not suggesting we don our Indiana Jones garbs and free the slave children (or recover the lost Sankara stones, for that matter).  We can wage this war with different methods.  Our mightiest weapon is prayer (did I just sense another eye-roll from some of you?).  No, it's true.  God wiped out 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night in answer to King Hezekiah's prayer (2 Kings 19:35).  Jesus was also aware that He could call down a legion of angels if He wanted to.  This is the Kingdom of which we are now citizens.  Citizens petitioning a King who can handle any request we make of Him.  He has unlimited resources.  Time's no issue for Him.  Numbers don't faze Him either.  He's not overwhelmed by any situation.  So, let's ask Him to free these dear ones from their living nightmare.
             He also uses people in answer to our prayers.  World Concern are one of those groups God is currently using in this war.  They battle with plowshares, not swords (Is. 2:4).  They see education as a tool necessary to this battle.  That means educating potential victims about the methods used by these modern slave traders.  It also means giving job training so that children can help support their families through legitimate means instead of joining the slave market.  Many of them are literally using plowshares to provide for their families and overcome the enemy's strategies to harm them.  Supporting groups like World Concern engages the enemy with an offensive they aren't accustomed to defending. 
            There are wars I believe to be worth waging.  I'm looking for a few good recruits.  If you're interested in joining up, let me know.  Below are a couple of sites to help us get started.
http://worldconcern.org/myconcern/children/
https://www.hopeoutfitters.com/