🇻🇪Venezuela 7.2+7.5 Quakes in 39 Secs, Mt 24:7-8, Strengthen Church, Gospel Workers, True Gospel Gains Ground, Protection from Cults, Deception, AI

[Chrysostom]

The very earth trembles, yet what is this but the voice of the Lord shaking the nations, that they might awake from their slumber? You have called to mind the words of the Master: “Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” These are the beginnings of sorrows, not the end. But let no one be troubled, for the gospel must first be preached in all the world, and then shall the end come. So these shakings are not cause for panic but for a more earnest proclamation of repentance and remission of sins in His name.

You plead for laborers, and rightly so, for the harvest is great. Yet remember, the word of the Gospel is proclaimed not by speech alone but by deeds, as the Prophet says, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.” The gospel is a sweet savor: to those who are being saved it is a fragrance of life unto life, to those who are perishing a fragrance of death unto death. So let us not merely speak but live the truth, that by our merciful acts we may be imitators of the God of all comfort, who even now stands ready to console the afflicted. His mercy is not like man’s mercy; it is as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth. Did He not show mercy to Paul, a blasphemer and persecutor, and make him an example of all long-suffering? So let no one despair, but let all approach the throne of grace with boldness to obtain mercy and find grace in time of need.

You fear deception, and well you should. Many false prophets shall arise and deceive many; imposters shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But hold fast to what you have received from the beginning. The truth was not hidden in novelty but announced long ago by the Prophets. Even Abraham rejoiced to see Christ’s day. So be not carried about with strange doctrines. The God of this world blinds the minds of the unbelieving, lest the light of the gospel should shine unto them; but you are children of light. Walk then as children of light, and let your good works so shine that others may glorify your Father in heaven.

You seek protection for the innocent, for women and the young and the aged. This is well and good, for the prayer of the righteous availeth much. But do not forget that the Lord Himself is their defender, and He will surely bring to light every hidden thing. Commend them to Him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and pray without ceasing. Yet let your prayer be joined with action: become all things to all men, that by all means you might save some. Comfort the panic-stricken, bind up the wounded, and show them the love of Christ, which compels us, because we judge that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that they which live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto Him which died and rose again.

So let this great shaking be to you not a terror but a trumpet call. The gospel must be preached; the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers. And as you pray, go yourselves, for the message is urgent. The judge is at the door. Endure to the end, and you shall be saved.

 

[Silas]

You have cried out from a place of deep distress, and the sheer weight of the Scriptures you have poured out shows a heart that knows where true help is found. When the earth shakes and the world reels, it is right to flee to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The terrifying power on display in these quakes reminds us that the Lord is both great and greatly to be feared, yet His mercy endures forever. Even in these groanings of creation, He is not far off; He is the God of all comfort.

In times of affliction, we are often tempted to treat only the symptom, to rush for a bandage while neglecting the deeper disease. But the Lord in faithfulness sometimes permits what is overwhelming so that we may be driven to repentance, the true remedy. It is good to confess not only personal sin but the sins of nations, to humble ourselves and seek His face. His word has promised that if His people turn from their wicked ways, He will hear from heaven and heal their land. So do not stop pleading for a great international proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. That is the gospel, and it has lost none of its power to transform lives in our day. It effectually works in those who believe.

You asked that fear of God would deepen and evil would be hated rather than flaunted, and this is exactly what the gospel does when it takes root. The true gospel of Christ is not a list of rules to follow or a set of empty words. It is the announcement that God accounts righteous all who put their faith in Jesus, who died and rose again. Guard carefully against any other message, even if it wears a mask of good works or sounds spiritual, that adds anything to simple trust in Christ. Many will come in His name, but if they do not abide in the teaching of Christ concerning who He is and what He has done, they run ahead and have not God. So your prayer for protection from deception, from false prophets, from every impostor, is vital. Pray that the church would hold fast to the gospel that was once delivered, not mingled with guile or impurity, but entrusted to us by God.

In the midst of the rubble and the staggering loss of life, ask the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers. The fields are white, and the harvest is plentiful even, perhaps especially, where suffering has laid people low. Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the multitudes as sheep without a shepherd. That same compassion is available to you and to every believer who will ask. Pray earnestly that the love of Christ would compel us, that we would no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again. Pray for the right words to speak, for winsome lives that become all things to all people so that by all means some may be saved. That is the labor to which we are called, and we are all fellow laborers together, whether in front or in the background, sharing equally in the reward when we stand before the Lord. Your name, and the names of all who labor with you in the gospel, are written in the book of life, a comfort that outlasts every tremor.

As you intercede for the injured, the homeless, the grieving, remember that the comfort you receive from the Father is not just for your own relief. He comforts us in all our tribulation so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the same comfort we ourselves have received. Even in the darkest hours, He stands by and speaks peace. The afflictions that seem senseless can become a means through which His consolation abounds and others are drawn to salvation. So continue to plead for the survivors: for rescue workers, for those sheltering in evacuation centers, for those still trapped. Ask the Lord to rise with healing in His wings, to rebuild the ruins, and to cause the gospel to gain traction in hearts that are newly opened by calamity.

Do not lose heart over the intensifying “thunderstorms” Jesus foretold. They are birth pains, not the end, and they are meant to drive us not to panic but to readiness. He told us ahead of time so that when they happen we would believe and not stumble. So let these events deepen your trust in His prophetic word and fuel your prayers for the nations. The sovereign God who has mercy on whom He will have mercy is able to take the very things that shake the world and use them to display His power and make His name declared throughout all the earth. May He grant repentance and eternal life to multitudes in ### and in every place where the ground has become unstable, and may He guard your own heart and mind in Christ Jesus as you stand in the gap.

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply grateful for the privilege to stand in prayer with you for Venezuela during this time of great trial and spiritual urgency. Your request has weighed heavily on our hearts, and we have continued to lift up each of these needs before the Lord with fervent hope and trust in His mercy.

We have prayed for the safety and protection of all those affected by the earthquakes, asking the Lord to strengthen the Church, raise up Gospel workers, and cause the true Gospel to gain ground even amid chaos. We have interceded for the vulnerable—women, children, and the elderly—asking God to shield them from deception, exploitation, and the schemes of the enemy. We have also pleaded for the Lord to expose and hinder the work of false teachers, cults, and deceptive influences, including the snares of AI and false doctrine, that none may be led astray from the truth of Christ.

Most of all, we have prayed for a mighty outpouring of repentance and revival, that hearts would turn to Jesus in this hour of shaking, and that the Gospel would be proclaimed with boldness and clarity. We have asked the Lord to send laborers into the harvest, to comfort the afflicted, and to bring healing—both physical and spiritual—to those in desperate need.

If the Lord has answered any of these prayers in ways you have witnessed, we would be overjoyed to hear your praise report so that we may rejoice with you. If the needs remain unmet, we stand ready to continue in prayer with you, lifting these burdens again before our Heavenly Father. May He grant you His peace, strengthen your faith, and draw near to you as you seek Him through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We pray all these things in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen.