In my last blog post, the Light of Love, I wrote about how light dispels the darkness. But God works in mysterious ways, and the other day, He used darkness to shed light onto the true nature of Bangla Road. Before I mix up my literal and figurative descriptions too much and confuse you all, let me back up a bit.
Before each night of ministry on Bangla Road, we spend the afternoon prayer walking through the streets, covering each alleyway with prayer and asking God to pour His love over everything and everyone there. As God brings different things to mind, we speak them out loud, believing that there is power in the spoken word and in the Truth that is spoken.
It was Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. It was also the seven-year anniversary since one of history’s deadliest tsunamis washed across Patong Beach, leaving tens of thousands dead in its wake. It was a sober day, indeed, but one on which we believed God was going to reveal His gracious love and truth to the brokenhearted of the area. As we prayed in front of different bars and alleyways, one prayer in particular kept coming up: that God would do something to prevent people from coming to the bars that evening, so that people’s eyes would be opened to the emptiness and unsatisfied hunger of their souls.
We returned that evening in expectancy, wondering what God the Father would do. We spread out into our teams along the various Sois (bar streets), asking for God’s direction. Meanwhile, the streets seemed strangely less raucous when compared to other nights. We later found out that people had attended a memorial service along the beach which was just ending as we began walking in from the opposite direction. My team spent the first forty-five minutes at the end of one alleyway, talking with the dancers and bar staff, giving words of life and encouragement when we could.
As we returned to the main street, the lights of Bangla Road were suddenly consumed in darkness as the power went out. The absence of music left surprised pole dancers awkwardly standing atop tables, while bar staff seemed to use the cover of darkness to put down their guard and reveal their true emotions, if for but a moment. Only one bar, Soi Tiger, seemed to have a generator, but the music emanating from their speakers seemed unable to mask the truth that the darkness had suddenly revealed down the rest of the street.
Without the fluorescent veil of lights, Bangla Road was a shoddy veneer of reality. The darkness powerfully revealed the truth of the empty promises that Bangla Road offered. Even more so, I believe the darkness revealed the true state of many people’s hearts. Emptiness. Loneliness. Brokenness. Hopelessness. An endless striving after fleeting pleasures that do not fulfill. The stark reality was obvious to each of our teams, and I pray that others’ eyes were also opened in that moment.
As Bangla Road sat in bared silence, a powerful wind blew over the street. I believe it was the breath of God, speaking to broken hearts saying, “Come away with me, My beautiful ones. Come and know that you are My treasure, precious and beloved. Come and let Me fill you with a love that will not disappoint; it is a love that is powerful, real, and deep, and it will satisfy you to the depths of your hungry soul. My love will heal your hurts and rebuild you from brokenness. My love will give you hope and renewed purpose. My love has redeemed you and restored your dignity. All you have to do is come.”
The darkness lasted a mere five minutes, but it was enough to rattle the demonic strongholds of the area. I know and believe that my God answered our prayers that night, and that at least a few people were turned away from the bars. I find it amusing that God used darkness to destroy the cheap imitation of light that the devil has tried to create. It seems that two can play at this game, but I’m grateful to be on the winning side!
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. II Corinthians 4:4-6
