An Article of Faith

It was a dreary day in the former Communist country. The clouds overhead resembled the thick clouds that, for a century, overshadowed any hope that Communist Romania would one day be free. The idea that any nation this repressed would experience a complete shift from hard-line Communism to full-fledged democracy and religious freedom was far-fetched at best.
The conversation Byron Paulus had with Florine, a young Romanian pastor, confirmed how densely thick those clouds really were. They had just crossed the border from Hungary into Romania when Byron felt the timing was right to ask.
He could tell it was still raw for Florine. The ability to pick up a Christian leader in Budapest and then transport him into Romania without intense border scrutiny and demeaning interrogation seemed bewildering to Florine. But feeling he had to know the answer, from at least one person who lived during the revolution, Byron asked, “Did you ever think Romania would be free?”
The answer came quickly. “Not in a million years!” Byron questioned further, “What about a month or two before when you started hearing reports of neighboring countries boldly throwing off the shackles of harsh regimes – did you think that maybe someday Romania would be free?”
Equally emphatic, Florine’s response came, “Absolutely not!”
“A week before?” Byron responded. “Surely the rumblings of freedom in neighboring nations gave hope.”
“You just don’t understand,” Florine exclaimed. “The secret police were everywhere and they were brutal.”
Okay, Byron mused. Let me try once more: “Surely 24 hours before, when riots and resistance in Timisoara hit the news. Did you think then that Romania would someday be a free nation?”
Still with a tone that conveyed only hopelessness, his reply came, “Not even then, not even 24 hours before, we still did not anticipate it happening.”
A spiritual and cultural transformation was simply unimaginable for those who had lived in darkness their entire lives. For those who had never experienced anything like it previously. Yet on Christmas Day, 1989, the brutal dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his leadership were overthrown and a new nation was formed to the cheers and joyous celebration of the masses. (Taken from OneCry: A Nationwide Call for Spiritual Awakening. For more information see: www.ONECRY.com).
“When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan” (Proverbs 29:2 NLT).
“If My people,” declares the LORD, “who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV).

Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.