Walk the Plank!

Last night as we gathered to read about today's stage (stage 10) of the Tour De France, I could not help but pause at the information I was reading concerning the end spot of the stage. It was a long name and the history of the spot struck me. Here is what I read....

Stage 10 La Planche des Belles Filles

 The name La Planche des Belle Filles comes from an episode in the 30 years war in 1635 when according to legend, the young girls of a neighbouring village hid themselves up this mountain to escape the cruel Swedish mercenaries who were nearby. To escape rape they commited suicide by jumping from a plank into the black waters of a lake on the plateau.
Legend has is that one of the soldiers thought of one of the girls who jumped was very beautiful
and tried to prevent her from dying.
However she jumped and afterwards he went down to find her and
carried her lifeless body back up the hill and buried her in a grave with a plank as a tombstone.

I sat with this information but it disturbed me, the fact that rape has become such a natural thing. It disturbed me that there was such an amazing opportunity to speak out about the rape and violation of women on something as international as the Tour and yet I knew nothing would be said about it. "Women as old as grandmothers and as young as toddlers have routinely suffered violent sexual abuse at the hands of military
and rebel forces. Rape has long been used as a tactic of war, with violence against women during or after armed conflicts reported in every international or non-international war-zone." (UN End Violence Against Women)

But as I continued on - Father God spoke powerfully to me about the violation of women and how the world will overlook the injustices that they have become accustomed with but how we as believers should not. 

We are reminded to frequently speak up against the violation of women, even our biblical texts serve as reminders of the wickedness of Rape.

Dinah the daughter of Jacob and Leah was raped (Genesis 34), Tamar the beautiful daughter of David was violated by her own half-brother (2 Samuel 13). Judges 19 retells the story of the Levite and his concubine who was assaulted to death, there are many more narratives which make us fearful just by their retelling. But the Bible is no mere fairytale, rather it tells the stories of the fallen nature of man and God's amazing redeeming Love. I believe these stories are suppose to shake us awake and cause us to arise against wickedness. Rape is a violation, it is not a purely physical thing but it is a soul thing, a spirit thing and it is not okay. For generations women have been violated and this week I have heard Father tell me that it is time for us to raise one voice and declare from our places on this planet against the violation and oppression of women. While researching rape statistics in the world, I discovered that muslim countries have the highest levels of rape, while Sweden and India top the list, with South Africa being in the top five.

Family, tomorrow a friend of mine who is visiting Israel, will visit the Chuldah steps in Jerusalem. Yeshua has laid this particular place on my heart as it is the place where the prophetess Chuldah would speak out from. She was a prophetess in her day and she spoke the words of God boldly out in to a generation of decay. Her voice is echoing to us today, her voice is calling to us as women and telling us to arise, to speak against injustice, to speak up for the righteousness of our King and to declare His message aloud. While this friend of mine will stand on the Chuldah steps tomorrow, I will be standing here in my home and together we will proclaim in to the spirit realm the message of freedom and hope to the daughters of the King. We will speak it by the Holy Spirit because God has told me "now is the time!" Family, I truly pray that you will join with us this week, to stand in the gap for the violation of women in this world. God has shown me that although we feel powerless to stop this pervasive evil that seems rampant, there is nothing too hard for our God! Are we willing to abandon all and trust Him, are we willing to stand and declare for our sisters? I want to invite you through the Holy Spirit, to intercede on behalf of the survivors of rape and to declare and proclaim from Gods word - judgment and intervention against the violation of women worldwide. Join me this week and together let's petition the throne of God!

Let's pray against this and stand as children of the King in the gap - let's join hands because where we agree on something in this earth, I believe it will be done! Blessings in Yeshua!