April 20, 2018

Once a month we go out with our partners, Treasures, to give out gifts to women being exploited in the strip clubs. It is always a great experience and God does so many amazing things. There are countless stories of our teams getting in or getting invited back to the dressing rooms and more. Each time we go, we go with the expectation that God is going to do big things (I mean, when is He not?). We began the night with prayer and worship. As we loaded into the car, my heart beat with excitement and anticipation. As we arrived at the first club, part of our team went out and ended up coming back empty handed. Any time gifts enter the club, we count that as a win. Unfortunately, however, they were not able to actually go in and hand out the gifts personally. We brushed it off knowing we still had 12 more clubs to go. Club after club, we ended up dropping the gifts at the front but were always denied entry. My heart began to sink. All I wanted was for us to be able to go in and really represent God’s love to see these women set free. Arriving at the final club, we asked God for the opportunity to give a gift to at least one girl, face to face. As our team walked back to the car my eyes were drawn to the gifts still in their hands. I was so disappointed, why didn’t God answer our prayers? When the team began to share, they said this club was very closed off to us dropping off the gifts but as they were wrapping up their conversation to the bouncer one of the woman working there walked out after finishing up her shift. Even with all of the opposition, God still worked out a way for our team to hand a woman a gift face to face.

After getting back from outreach, I was still frustrated that we did not get to talk to more women. I kept asking why we weren’t able to actually go in, why we couldn’t talk with the women and let them know how loved and valuable they are. I felt God remind me of all of the prayers we prayed that night. Prayer is the reason so many women have been set free through Treasures over the years. Prayer is the reason so many more women will be freed in the years to come. Prayer is the only way our sex-crazed culture will shift. God challenged me to see how He was working through our prayers to change the world around us. As we prayed over each gift, each club, each girl, we were changing the atmosphere, partnering with God to make a way for the next time we come. Even if we don’t fully understand why we were unable to go in, I know and believe that God had a purpose and a plan. His love and desire for these women is so much greater than any of ours could ever be. I want to challenge each of you reading this to ask God how you can partner with Him to pray and change the circumstances around you. Sometimes we don’t get to see the immediate changes but we can rest knowing that God is working behind the scenes to change things. “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:22 ESV). God is telling us to ask for bigger things, believe for bigger things, and know that we will see greater things. Isaiah 43:18-19  says, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” We serve such a creative God who invites us into praying with Him and changing the culture around us with Him. Join us in prayer and faith that God is changing the culture around us through our prayers and faith. Let us rise up, as children of God, declaring freedom for all who are enslaved.