At the invitation of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, hundreds came together at Full Life Church in Hollywood, Florida—a suburb of Miami—for a time of prayer for Venezuela, led by Will Graham.
Christian leaders in Venezuela and among the Venezuelan people in the United States have been urging believers to pray for peace in light of recent events in their country.
But alongside the challenges, there is renewed expectation.
“We know that this is a time of great uncertainty for Venezuela, but we believe that this is also a time of hope,” said Will Graham.
The crowd represented not only Venezuelans but also those from other Latin American countries. Together, they lifted up their voices in Spanish to ask for the Lord’s blessing over this nation.
For Pastor Suárez, the night itself was an answer to prayer.
“This event is something divine. I believe it is evidence that the Holy Spirit is moving, and that excites me greatly,” he shared. “I am convinced that God has extended His hand of salvation and will strengthen [Venezuela].”
Throughout the evening, pastors and church leaders took turns asking God to grant wisdom to the leaders who are involved in rebuilding democracy in this nation.
Most importantly, they prayed for the Gospel to spread powerfully there.
“We know that there was a time when Venezuela was the jewel of South America,” Will Graham said from the stage. “We know that has changed. … But we believe that we are on the verge of a new beginning for Venezuela.”
After a time of worship led by Venezuelan artist Daniel Calveti, Graham shared a message from the Bible taken from the story of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, in 2 Kings 19.
“King Hezekiah was a good king who honored the Lord and he was zealous for God. Hezekiah reopened the temple of the Lord and reinstituted the Levitical priesthood,” said Graham. “But even when he did what was right, he faced some big problems.”
Graham explained how Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came one day to take over what was left of the nation of Judah. At the time, Assyria was the world’s most powerful country, and it looked like everything might be lost.
“But Hezekiah poured out his soul before the Lord,” said Graham. “In response, Judah was freed by the mighty hand of God, while Sennacherib, in his blasphemy, was reduced to dust.”
Graham used this Biblical example to encourage attendees to pray fervently for Venezuela, reminding them that prayer should never be our last resort.
“We have faith that God can also move for Venezuela,” he said. “We pray for stability in these unstable times. … We pray for a day when people would be [able] to worship freely, but most importantly we pray that the Gospel would spread through all of Venezuela.”
Susana* fled Venezuela seven years ago because of political persecution and said she couldn’t be more grateful for Tuesday’s event.
“Just being here, together, increases our hope,” she said. “We, the Venezuelan people, have great hope and faith that God is working in our country. We believe that Venezuela is receiving God’s grace and that our nation will flourish again. I believe that one day my children will also be able to go back to the country where I grew up.”
Please keep the people of Venezuela in your prayers and ask the Lord to bring His peace to troubled hearts there.
