I’ve been overseas for the past week, hosting a conference in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia. A group of indigenous men attended this event from the Guajira region, near Colombia’s border with Venezuela. Instead of Spanish they speak a language called Wayunaiki.
Residents of the Guajira region, known as the Wayuu people, are poor, and they struggle to get an education. Yet in this remote area—a place most of us have never heard of—the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully.
One of the Wayuu men, Leider Espinayu, told me that the Bible was translated into Wayunaiki about 10 years ago. Today Leider is busy evangelizing and planting churches among his people. When I met him last Saturday, he proudly showed me a copy of the Bible in his language, and he read John 3:16 from it.
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The verse says: “Anuu sukuaippa saalii wayuu sainküin mmakat süpüshua nüpüla chi Maleiwakai: Naapüin chi Nüchonkai waaꞌu, chi waneeshikai Nüchoin. Niasaꞌa chi eekai nünoujain nünain, eeꞌiranajaweerü naaꞌin nütüma Maleiwa. Nnojoleechi amüloulin süchikijee ouktaa, eejeechi nümaa Maleiwa süpüla kaꞌikat süpüshua.”
I wiped away tears as I heard these strange-sounding words. It overwhelmed me to think that God loves this faraway place on the coast of South America so much that He sent missionaries to an obscure tribe of people who speak this rare language. (Only 400,000 people speak Wayunaiki.) Today, many of the Wayuu Indians have come to believe in Jesus.
After speaking with my friends from Guajira, I checked my news feed and noticed multiple stories about the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Few people in coastal Colombia are tuned in to major news networks, and certainly fewer of the Wayuus have heard of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
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It reminded me again that the United States isn’t the center of the universe. And I’m comforted when I ponder the fact that one day everyone on earth will know Who is really in charge.
For the next several months we will be in a constant political battle between liberals and conservatives. I’ll be voting Republican because I can’t support a party that promotes high taxes, wide-open borders, abortion in the third trimester or transgender ideology in elementary schools. Kamala Harris seems bent on pushing an anti-Christian agenda.
But I don’t put my trust in political parties, nor do I think politicians can save us. Washington, D.C., doesn’t run the world, and neither do governments in London, Paris, New Delhi, Beijing, Ottawa, Tehran, Nairobi or Moscow. Just as God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, in an instant He can topple the most formidable global power centers.
Revelation 11:15 gives us a glimpse of the future when it says: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” That means wicked men will try their best to push a satanic agenda of hate, sexual perversion, violence, corruption and economic exploitation. They may make momentary progress, but God will eventually remove wicked people from power.
This’s why I’m not wringing my hands in fear because of pro-Marxist leaders in Colombia, or militant Hindu leaders in India, or extreme liberals in the U.S. who want to indoctrinate and mutilate children to change their gender. I sleep soundly every night because I know that no matter who is winning in this week’s polls, or who occupies the top positions of power in the world, or which billionaires are pulling strings behind the curtain, God will have the last word.
Just as God scattered the proud builders of the Tower of Babel, He will always oppose prideful, wicked leaders and yank the rug out from under their plans. Psalm 37:12-13 says it this way: “The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.”
Jesus rules from heaven, and His gospel is spreading more rapidly than at any time in history. God’s Word is transforming Iran and other Islamic strongholds. Christianity is taking deep root in China. Even isolated tribes like the Wayuus in Colombia are embracing faith in Christ. Yet an estimated 7,400 people groups around the world still don’t have a gospel witness. Reaching them should be our top priority. As we head into this turbulent election season, let’s allow biblical principles to steer how we vote. But please remember that we don’t win the world for Christ though politics. The great commission of Jesus hasn’t changed. He has called us to pray and work until every nation, tribe and tongue has been invited to experience His mercy and salvation.
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J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years and now serves as senior contributing editor. He directs the Mordecai Project, an international ministry that protects women and girls from gender-based violence. His latest books are Follow Me and Let’s Go Deeper (Charisma House).
