Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Nigerian, Chadian, and other West African people have been kidnapped by Boko Haram. This is not surprising news– though it is heart-wrenching.
163 of the Chibok girls have been freed, and hundreds of other people who have been kidnapped have also been released (Praise Jesus!). But, there is a big difference in how the Chibok girls have been treated, versus how others who have been kidnapped have been treated.
It seems impossible to be able to give these “other” people the same care and treatment as the Chibok girls, due to the sheer lack of mental health counselors and doctors in Northern Nigeria. The fact that these people– these rape, trauma and abuse victims– are being thrown back out into the wild, crazy, and at times, heartless world without any attentiveness or care breaks my heart.
Many of these former kidnappees now face isolation, as their very own hometowns have marked them cursed; the children they have been forced into carrying from rape are called accursed, too.
These men, women, and children– who have all experienced the evil of Boko Haram in some form or another– need to be heard. Their stories must be told.
It is for this reason that ISAIAH 62 PRAYER MINISTRY is expanding it’s main focus to include not only the Chibok girls, but all people who have been kidnapped, as well as those who are currently in captivity.
While their names may have not been documented, as the Chibok girls’ names have, the names of the countless people who have been driven into bondage are known by Christ. This Truth is seen profoundly in Isaiah 49.
“See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.”
(Isaiah 49:16, NIV)
This is the Hope for those who feel that, as a part of the masses, they, and their pain, do not matter. May I also venture to say that it is the Hope for us, too?
These people are not forgotten. You are not forgotten. If today, you feel nameless, know that if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, He has engraved you on the palms of His Hands. Your life– and all of it’s brokenness– is always in His Mind.
And, just as Christ has brought back 163 Chibok girls– and countless others– from bondage, know that He is mighty to save you. He Loves you, and is working and moving on your behalf (Romans 8:28).
As ISAIAH 62 PRAYER MINISTRY continues to try to document, support, and love those who have been ravaged by this insurgency, please pray for guidance in how to do so best. If you have any suggestions or ideas on how to do so well, PLEASE share!
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NIV). Now is a time of weeping– but it will not last forever. Until then, let us remember, love, and pray for those who have been ravaged.
Do you know Jesus?
Isaiah 49:16 speaks about us being engraved in the palms of the LORD. Nothing could prove this more than Jesus death on the cross.
As one nail was driven through each of Jesus’ Christ’s Hands, He was dying for the sins of the world. Learn more about the Savior who, in perfect Love, came to die for you and I– and why– here.
Please pray:
- For the countless men, women, and children who have been held captive by Boko Haram.
- For the “Chibok girls”– those 163 who have been freed, and those 113 who are still in captivity.
- For those currently battling Boko Haram.
- For those currently being displaced and attacked by Boko Haram.
ISAIAH 62 PRAYER MINISTRY 