1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly
rejoice, though
now for a little while you
may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
There is no rejoicing among Northern
Nigerians whose daughters were brutally kidnapped recently by the Talibanic
terrorist group, Boko Haram. While we are excited about final exams and proms, a
whole community across the world is totally devastated. Almost three hundred
girls, who were taking their final exams, were inhumanely abducted at gunpoint
and are now suffering under the wickedness of this hostile group. Their families
are anguished and, until the world rallies to their defense, their hearts will
remain broken and their losses will be difficult to endure.
This kind of callous kidnapping has been
going on for centuries. All over the world millions of women and young girls
are abducted, sold into slavery, and trafficked as sexual chattels each year.
Corrupt governments and greedy leaders turn a blind eye to what’s going on in
Africa, Asia, Europe, and even here in North America. It’s a scandalous
situation, a shameful issue, and a sinful blight upon the whole of humanity. Until
women are properly treated as equals across the entire planet, these inhumane
practices, which really should be called ‘gender genocide,’ will tragically
continue and never be resolved.
As Christians, we need to advocate on
behalf of women everywhere, not solely in a feminist way but in an entire human
way, where women and men stand together and truly fight for these inalienable rights.
Those who hide behind religious doctrine or masculine supremacy need to be
totally confronted and made to change their ways or pay for their crimes. We cannot
wait for another century or even another millennium for this to occur. We need
to act now; we need to pressurize our politicians and write to our
representatives, boldly demanding these changes and continually calling upon
them to actively advocate for women in this land and everywhere else.
This may not seem to be much of a
devotion to you, today; but sometimes in our devotion to God we need to actively
practice our faith by being advocates for freedom and equality, faith and love.
If not, then all that we have is a heavenly faith that is no earthly use at
all.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You treated women as
equals and honored them for their gifts, their love, and their faith. Help us
to do the same in our churches, communities, nations, and continents. Keep us
mindful of the inhumane trafficking of people, especially women and girls
across the world. Grant us the courage to stand together against these sinful,
ungodly, and wicked practices. In Your Holy Name, we fervently pray. Amen.
