Darkness Followed By Worse Darkness

     The sun goes down around 5:30 p.m. here in Colombia along the Venezuelan border. In a country as beautiful as Colombia, you'd think that the setting sun would bring out the stars in the clear night sky. But rather than bring out the loveliness of God's creation, the setting sun only brings out the hideousness of Satan's destruction and perversion.

     Almost as soon as the sun dips behind the lush, green horizon, the real darkness descends upon this city. It's actually there all day long, but, at least it is at a minimum. But when the light in the sky is gone, it seems that the inky blackness of sin lunges out of the shadows and begins to take over parts of the city. 

     The parks and plazas are heartbreaking places. The hunger, the emptiness, the listless looks in a thousand eyes is haunting. But once the sun disappears, the wild banging of drums and percussion instruments herald the coming onslaught of Hell itself. The bars surge to rhythms that must come from the Abyss. The drunken men grow bold and arrogant. A man with a handful of Pesos thinks he owns the world. And for just a few of those Pesos he can actually own a human soul or two for an hour or so.

     You can hardly walk down the crumbling sidewalks for the crowds of people hurrying and scurrying to get home. Between the pedestrians, the honking, rumbling cars in the narrow streets, and the growing crowds of women congregating under the garish lights, it's almost hard to breathe. One woman wept and told me today that her friend was "A Mary Magdalene", because she couldn't bring herself to say the words, "a prostitute". All the Gospel tracts I had were gone in minutes. 

     Some women on that seemingly God-forsaken street have spent what remained of yesterday's meager earnings to "medicate" themselves so they can get through tonight with as little awareness as possible. Some stubbornly refuse to take a tract. Others accept them readily.  One woman argued with me about whether God disapproved of her lifestyle or not. And some just quietly listen as you tell them of the love of God and His mercy to rescue the perishing and care for the dying.  

     Children follow you down the street pleading for you to give them one of the illustrated booklets that make the plan of salvation so clear. It's hard to know if Mommy or Child needs the tract more.

     I'm more convinced than ever that God is reaching out to the Venezuelan people. There is so much desperation and sorrow among them. Yet, in all our years in Venezuela, I've never seen so many who would listen to the Gospel message politely and attentively. Sure, most have nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. But without any doubt, God is opening the hearts of thousands who were never open to the Gospel before.

     If you read and study carefully about the conditions in Judah at the time of the Babylonian captivity, you cannot help but see such a tragic similarity between Judah and Venezuela. Reading Lamentations and the prophets that wrote so powerfully about the incredible destruction the people faced, seems to be a heart-rending forerunner of what is happening now among the refugees who have come to Colombia and other countries.

     I beg you to please pray for these souls who are in such need of God. Please lift them up before Heaven in your earnest prayers. And please pray that God will grant anointing, power and wisdom as we minister to these who have experienced an unfathomable catastrophe.

Beyond Frontiers