A while back I had an experience, unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

That memorable summer evening I was praying in my bedroom– just me, a soft summer breeze floating through the window, and God. As I was praying, a picture suddenly came to my mind. The picture was so clear, and the feelings it elicited so real, that the only explanation that made any sense was that this was a vision of sorts. A scene played out before me that changed the trajectory of my life. Suddenly, everything around me faded. It was as though I were in another place as I became a part of the picture before me.

The warm summer breeze was suddenly a cold autumn wind and I was standing at the edge of a recently harvested cornfield. The stalks were yellowed and dried, the ground rough and un-plowed. As I stood there watching, hundreds of children were running through the barren field, tripping over the rough, stubble-covered ground. A massive throng of children– all running directly toward me. I waited with arms stretched wide, beckoning them “come.”

“God, what is this? What are you showing me?” 

No words came in reply. The only response was a pain so intense I could barely breathe beneath the weight of it.

And I wept.

I wept as I never had before. It was as though I was feeling all the pain of every single child running toward me. The closer they came, the more I could feel. Devastating, soul-crushing pain.

“Lord, have mercy on the children! The children…have mercy on the children!”  

These were the only words I could utter, over and over again.

The following evening as I was praying about what I had seen and asking God to reveal what it meant, the vision came a second time…

More children, more pain, more weeping.

“Oh, Lord, have mercy on the children!”

Again, I pleaded: “God, what is this? What are you showing me?”

This time, His quiet words flowed into my heart:

“You will see, but first, you had to feel.”

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I felt. Oh, how I felt the pain at that moment but it took much longer for me to “see.”

One moment was all it took to feel the pain and light a fire in my heart that would change the course of my life, but it took many months for understanding and direction to light the path I was now to take. In the time since that vision, there’s been an incredible amount of pondering, praying, and finally— revelation.

Years’ worth of dreams, trials, and words that had been spoken over my life came together in surprising clarity.

God was calling me to love these wounded children; calling me to be a vessel of His love and encourage His people to do the same. He was calling me to have mercy on the children. 

The Mass Wounding of Children

The pain of many children became heart-wrenchingly clear to me.

• Children are being torn apart as their families crumble in divorce and brokenness.
• Precious boys and girls are neglected and abused, lost in confusion, fear, and despair as they are sent to foster care because addiction’s claws have a stranglehold on their parents.
• Young, innocent humans are sold like property into sex trafficking, and robbed of all that is sacred as they are used and abused time and again.
• Abortion– innocent children not even allowed life.

And the list goes on… The multitude of ways children are deeply wounded, scarred, or destroyed is overwhelming and weighs heavily on my heart! The questions constantly swirl…

When did we lose sight of the preciousness of children?

Where has the value and sanctity of life gone?

Why is it that the young and vulnerable so often fall through the cracks and bear the brunt of adult problems?

How have these precious gifts become “disposable” and a means for gain?

The children of the world are under attack.

Children are the future– they will impact the world, for better or worse. They are precious to Jesus. Of course, they are under attack!  In reality, they have always been under attack.

Wounded children will grow up to inflict pain on others because hurt people hurt people. There’s no easier place for the devil to wage war than on the vulnerable children of the world, and he’s doing all he can to bring them down.

This is an overwhelming reality that is not going to just disappear.

Sometimes when a problem seems so large that we don’t know what to do… we don’t do anything.

Let’s change this!

It is not enough to shake our heads and shed some tears hoping for change. We need to be the change. Yes, there is so much that needs to be done and one cannot do it all. But together, if we each just press on and do our part–help that one– maybe then we will see larger results. Please don’t assume someone else is going to do it– they may be assuming the same thing! If not me; if not you, then who?

When the devil wages war, what are we to do?

We stand up and fight to protect the innocent! We step in and care for the wounded!

There is always something we can do.

A Christian Response to the War on Children

First of all, we need to educate ourselves on the many ways children are under attack. We can’t fight what we don’t understand. If you don’t know where to start, begin with any of these articles:

Nearly 35 million U.S. children have experienced one or more types of Childhood Trauma (such as physical, sexual, and verbal abuse; physical and emotional neglect; having a parent who is an alcoholic, drug addict, or has a mental illness; witnessing a mother or other family member experience abuse; losing a parent to abandonment or divorce; having a family member in jail.)

Child Trafficking Statistics- U.S. and International (“600,000 to 800,000 women, children, and men bought and sold across international borders every year and exploited for forced labor or commercial sex- 50% are children”)

How many children are waiting to be adopted in the U.S.?   (Over 100,000– with over 400,000 in the foster care system)

How many children are being aborted annually?  (56 million per year)

Once you’ve educated yourself, please share what you’ve learned with others! Raising awareness about the needs of so many wounded children is something anyone can do.

But let us not stop at reading and talking about the problems. Allow awareness and knowledge to be the impetus to put our love into action!

There are many avenues and different levels of fighting for the children:

• Adoption
• Foster Care
• Safe Families/Safe Churches
• Supporting and being prayer warriors for those who have adopted or are fostering– these families need our ongoing support!
• Sponsoring
• Volunteering with or supporting organizations working to end Child Trafficking 
• Volunteer at your local Crisis Pregnancy Center (Click for more ways to get involved in the Pro-Life Movement)
• Educate Others (Blogging is one of the ways God has led me to do as an avenue of helping children by providing education and awareness about the impact of childhood trauma.)
• Love and guide your own children by helping them love God and others. Teach them the value of human life. Show them how to put other’s needs before their own. Demonstrate the importance of being kind and compassionate, and how to stand up for the rights of others. Changing the world really does begin at home.
• Pray.

Prayer is powerful. I believe if an army of prayer warriors will commit to faithfully pray for the wounded children we will see battles won and mountains moved!

We need to continually pray for the healing of children and for an end to the injustices done against them.

Let us seek the Lord about which role He would have us take to make a difference in this war.

Pray for more hearts to be stirred to join the ranks!

Yes, there is a cost.

Making a difference does require sacrifice.

Truly having mercy on the children will take effort.

Pouring out your life for another won’t be “comfortable.”

Waging war on the devil requires a large, strong army willing to take risks for the sake of others.

Will you prayerfully consider joining the ranks and serving with those already on the battlefield? Will you have mercy on the children and stand up for the innocent, vulnerable, and wounded in our midst?

I hope you count the cost… and find it worth the sacrifice.