We dodge auto rickshaws and taxis and goats, crossing a main road. Ten years ago in India.
Our guide asks if we can go to the red light district and pray. Saying, “Be ready. The spiritual battle is intense.”
We step around the corner, into a lane. And I see them. Women in front of narrow doorways on a broken street. Some just sitting. Staring.
Others take care of daily tasks—cooking rice, washing clothes, feeding children.
Ordinary things.
Sharing hope
We pray.
We stop to talk with them. Listen. Then ask if they know of Jesus. And would they like to hear His story?
We ask how we may pray for them.
As my friends sit on a rope bed to share the gospel story with one lady, I find a bench nearby and sit down to pray for them.
The sun is setting behind buildings. Shadows lengthen.
“I am sick, mem”
A thin woman dressed in red and gold shalwar kameez (traditional dress) comes rushing down the lane. Straight towards me. Speaking broken English nonstop.
“Hi mem. I am sick, mem. My body is paining me. I tell my madam I not want ‘work baby’. They take my baby. I have TB…”
When she stops to take a breath I quickly speak of Jesus’ love for her…and ask, “Do you know of Jesus?” Her eyes are wild. Darting here and there.
She says, “Oh yes, mem. I love Jesus. I love Jesus.”
What is your name?
Again she rattles off a litany of troubles, holding onto my arm. I ask if I may pray for her in the name of Jesus.
“Oh no, mem. I must go.”
But what is your name?
“Sudha.”
She runs off. Down the lane. The dark lane.
Finished
My brain, struggling to think of Hindi words, hears her name in another language. The language of my childhood.
I think of Sudha’s frantic recitation. Her crazed eyes. “Sudah” in the Indonesian language means “finished.”
In the gathering dark, that’s what her life story feels like. Torn, bleeding, brief, finished.
I cry out, “Lord, have mercy!” And pray that the Healer of the broken will touch Sudha and make her whole.
Seeking the lost
Today the hard work of seeking the lost in those dark lanes continues. In big cities and border towns.
Where human traffickers trap. Kidnap. Use and abuse. Hold captive the least of these.
The work requires a stubborn perseverance. Full reliance on the Lord. For wisdom and strength. For peace in the face of harsh realities.
The fruit is rare.
The God who sees
Our Good Shepherd came to seek and to save the lost. And transform the broken.
He knows the way in those dark lanes.
He is the God who sees Sudha. And loves her with an everlasting love.
He is the One who gives His servants strength to keep on keeping on. Sharing hope in the face of unspeakable pain and evil.
Lord, have mercy.
Pray
Pray for the evil trafficking of human lives to be stopped. Pray for perpetrators to be exposed and brought to justice. Pray for victims to be rescued.
Lift up His servants who persevere in this difficult ministry today. Pray they daily abide in Christ through prayer and the Word. Seeking His wisdom.
Pray for believers who provide job skills training and trauma counseling. Pray they will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit as they help those escaping the dark lanes of red light districts.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.“
Romans 15:13 CSB
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2 replies on “Sharing hope in the dark”
A Chinese friend is doing this work in our city. I shared this with her. Thanks!
That’s encouraging to hear! Thanks for sharing, friend.