Psalm 82:3-4 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
I initially didn’t want to see it, but it was one of those movies where I felt I should.
The Sound of Freedom tells the story of an ex-Homeland Security agent who quits his job to rescue sex-trafficked children in Columbia. The film—so poignant, so raw, so artfully produced—raised my awareness of the horrendous sex trade to new levels.
Interestingly, the morning after we saw the movie, my scripture reading happened to be from Psalm 82. In that passage God calls his people to “rescue the weak and the needy and deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” What could be more wicked than people who exploit children to feed their greed and lust? And who stands in need of rescue more than these helpless innocents being sold as slaves?
Sex-trafficking has become a bulti-million-dollar business. One survivor compares it to a slave ship. She writes, “You use and re-use the body so much while it’s able, down to the point where its energy is completely depleted, then toss it away like a useless rag doll, replace it with a new body and repeat. I was that rag doll.” What a dehumanization of fellow humans.
No religious leader esteemed children more than Jesus. He rebuked his followers when they tried to keep children away from him (Mark 19:13-14). He healed children on at least two occasions (Mark 5:41; Mark 9:27). In Mark 10:5 he said no one could enter the kingdom unless they came like a child. And for those who caused one of the little ones to stumble? Jesus warned they would be better off to have a millstone tied around their neck and be thrown into the sea (Luke 17:2).
As Christ followers, we should view children the same way he did. We should value them, protect them, and if needed, rescue them if we can. And we can pray for them.
Since I saw The Sound of Freedom I’ve been praying for the little victims. Praying for their release, for their healing. Praying one day they will sing the song of Romans 8:15….
I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.