Dear God:
How can I possibly pray genuinely for the men and women who spend their days and nights harming children? How can I honestly speak to You on their behalf when I know they are luring children into their presence with promises of fame and making their dreams come true; and then selling them to the most warped minds and hearts of humanity to rape, torture, use, and abuse them? 
I don’t want to pray for these people – I want to pray against them! What I really want is for You to strike them down with whatever will put an end to child trafficking. I want You to punish them eternally by committing their souls to a fiery, painful, and terrifying place where they will know the horror, pain, sadness, hopelessness, and darkness they have inflicted on Your children. 
Yet, as I write these words to you this morning, I hear my friend’s voice reminding me that Jesus would have sat with these people, invited them to share a meal with Him, and offered His love and peace to them in their repentance. I hear my friend suggesting my prayer be for their enlightenment so that they may repent and know the peace of Jesus in their hearts – so that they may live out their days here on earth carrying the message of Jesus and living an eternal life of joy with Him – just as I wish for myself. For they are sick men and women, just as I am. While I do not understand their sickness, it is a sickness just like all the sicknesses in myself that I have brought to Jesus for healing. 
I know that following Your Son is not an easy way of living here on earth – but, this a such a tall order, God! I don’t truly wish for their enlightenment; I wish for their punishment. So, I must ask You first to change my heart in relation to these people. Give me the heart of Christ so I can pray for them to be saved instead of punished. I know I cannot change my own heart! I pray today that You will bless me with relief from my judgment of these people, and from my hatred for them. I pray that You will relieve me of my self-righteous indignation in relation to them and what they are doing in this world. Relieve me of these things so I can pray honestly for their salvation, knowing that the only true justice here will come through You and Your relationship with them. 
And, God, in the meantime, I pray for every child who is living a life in the web of this horrifying evil. Give them what they need, God, to survive and to know You in their hearts. Give them what they need to escape the slavery of evil desires in this world. Only You know what that is, God, so I pray Your will to be done.
Amen.  


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