Psalm 34:19 (KJV) – Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
A major promise and theme of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is that God knows how to deliver. The Creator of the universe is both willing and able to deliver His people from the guilt and punishment of sin and other unnecessary afflictions.
The promise of God’s deliverance is significant to us today because we are still waiting for the 10,000 hard copy Arabic Bibles to be delivered to their ultimate destination in Darfur, Sudan. The rainy season and impassable roads have hampered the truck for several weeks. Although the truck has crossed the border into Sudan, it has stopped for now; the driver is waiting out renewed fighting between local militias. We support the driver’s prudent decision to wait until the road ahead is safe before proceeding.
But here’s the good news. Neither impassable roads nor fighting militias have stopped God’s Word from going forth in Darfur. The March CRM short-team mission team delivered over 900 solar-powered digital audio players and 500 SD (Secure Digital) cards (for use in smartphones) loaded with scripture and preaching to Darfurian Christians who traveled to South Sudan for the Story Cloth training event. The team also delivered 14 solar-powered projectors to show the Jesus film and other biblical films.
When the Darfurian Christians returned home to Sudan, they immediately began utilizing these tools in their ministries to further evangelize the lost. In fact, since April 1, CRM’s Darfurian evangelism team reports that over 333,000 Sudanese Muslims have received a first-time gospel witness, with 1,885 Muslims receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Here’s a testimony from Sam (name changed for security) who just accepted Christ:
Sam struggled with alcoholism. Although he worked two jobs, Sam was unable to support his family because he spent so much money on alcohol. One day as he sat drinking with others, he heard the Bible being played by an audio player in a nearby house. The passage was from Luke 15, the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Sam said, “I found myself focusing deeply on the story of a young man who inherited his father’s wealth, took his money, and wasted it on prostitutes and excessive drinking. It told of how his father warmly received him back when he chose to return home. I thought to myself, why don’t I do the same? I set my cup down and then heard a voice telling me, ‘go there and ask the meaning of the story.’
I found a man there who shared the plan of salvation with me. I received the Lord Jesus and immediately my desire for alcohol disappeared. My wife, family, and members of my community were astonished by the change in my life. My wife and many people of my village have now received the Lord Jesus. Every day my wife thanks God for the people who provided that audio player to us here in Darfur.”
To be sure, God will ultimately cause those 10,000 Bibles to be delivered. But until we can announce their safe delivery, please keep praying and giving so we may continue empowering the courageous Christians in Darfur and other places in North and East Africa.
In His Name,
David Crane
President, Calvary Road Ministries