“The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” Luke 12:2-3 NLT.
I was standing on a 2nd-floor balcony in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, one evening as the evening sunset over the Pacific Ocean. I was staying at an orphanage I had arranged to use as my base of operations as I made ministry contacts in the sprawling border city. It was my first night, and I stood watching the children play in the courtyard below as the sunset and darkness began to set in for the night. I was facing east, and if you know the area, Tijuana, a city of nearly one million people, reached in front of me as far as the eye could see and extended to my right, or south, for miles. To my left was the border, and beyond that, San Diego, California, and its neighboring communities.
As the sky grew dark, I couldn’t help but notice that the light of the sun, on the American side of the border, was replaced with the bright lights of San Diego; buildings, roadways, stores, and restaurants—it was like nothing had changed from day to night. But in front of me, and as far as I could see to the south, it was dark. The sun went down, and it wasn’t replaced by artificial light; it was just dark. Oh, there was a smattering of light emanating from occasional street lights and grocery stores, but looking out over the city from that balcony, the contrast from left to right was stark. The light shone brightly in America while in Mexico, from my vantage point, darkness ruled the night.
As I stood there, initially, my heart broke for the Mexican people, the poverty, the economy, and living conditions. The analogy I was drawing was that they needed great physical help and investment. Then, quietly, the Lord spoke to my heart. “Look again to your left. What do you see?”
“America,” I said. “San Diego.”
“What is the difference between America and Mexico?”
“Light and darkness,” I said.
“Look closer. The light is artificial; it just covers the darkness; it doesn’t dispel it.”
I considered that for a few moments, and I heard, “It is just as dark in America as it is in Mexico; they just hide it better.”
And the verse above came to mind.
The beauty and prosperity of our beautiful country can be deceiving. It can lead one to believe that all is well and that we are a light on a hill for other nations to follow and emulate. But there is a darkness here that, while unseen to most, is just as dark as the most barren, seemingly God-forsaken, 3rd world desert. It is the sin that rages in the heart of mankind, kindled by the defeated prince of this age, Satan, who continues his assault on America unchecked because of our alleged prosperity that has coaxed most believers into sleep, believing they, at least, are safe because the lights are on. While the unborn are killed, freedom threatened from within, and evil actors conspire against the Church, the family, and our very identity as human beings.
But God has spoken, dear one, there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and the deeds of darkness will be brought into the true light.
Light of the world shine on us again, dispel the darkness with the Way, the Truth, and the Life — Jesus Christ our Lord. Maranatha!