Advocacy

Before ascending to the Father, Jesus assured his disciples that he was going to send the Holy Spirit to be with them and to be their advocate:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26 (NIV)

Scripture also indicates that Jesus himself serves as our advocate before the Father:

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Rom. 8:33-34 (NIV)

Likewise, we are called to advocate for others, for those whose voices are muted by society. Proverbs puts it this way:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Prov. 31:8-9 (NIV)

By receiving the sacrificial advocacy of Jesus, we see how it works. We are called to speak up for others, to pursue the best outcomes for others, even if that means sacrificing some of our own interests.

The path to advocacy is not quick or easy, but it is mercifully simple. We can open our hearts and minds to encounter the truth in all its tragedy and injustice. We can prayerfully lament with God the hurt produced by this injustice among individuals and communities local and global. We can take up our own crosses and as we follow Jesus to Calvary. And we can, by God’s mercy, embody the advocacy we continually receive from God as we seek to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Prov. 31:8).

Advocacy can take several different forms including prayer (spiritual advocacy), legal intervention, political advocacy, economic intervention, and social advocacy. Sometimes being a social advocate can be as simple as using our voices to intervene when and injustice occurs in a social situation.

Exercise:

Read through Proverbs 31:8-9 as a breath prayer asking that God would help you discern where in your life you should engage in being an advocate alongside of people around you. What small steps can you take to begin advocating more intentionally in response to the needs you witness?

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is a board member of Tearfund USA and serves as executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) and is the author of several books including the award-winning Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World. Find out more about Dr. Mae Elise Cannon's books from her website https://maecannon.com/