These last few days I’ve been at a conference in Medellín, Columbia, for Cru staff serving in cities across South America and the Caribbean. Not too long ago, no sane person would have considered Medellín for a safe and peaceful gathering. Once considered the drug capital of the world, Medellín suffered years of extreme violence.

We heard from a local pastor of the redemptive story of Medellín. Christian believers banded together to pray on a hillside overlooking their city, starting with a group of four that eventually grew to thousands. Emboldened city leaders pushed to end the violence. Through many sacrifices and brave stands, crime subsided and the city began to heal.

This week where citizens once hurried indoors in the early evenings to avoid random shootings, we ate dinner at outdoor restaurants and strolled back to our hotel enjoying the night air.

Medellín sits in a valley ringed by beautiful mountains. As I reflect on the recent history of the city, Psalm 121 comes to mind:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

The good people of Medellín climbed the hills surrounding their town and begged God for help. The Lord answered and the city now prospers. Of course, not all crime has disappeared and Medellín still deals with problems, but the transformation is startling.

Which leads me to wonder, if the Lord can bring such change to the drug capital of the world, what work might he do in my life? Perhaps it’s time for me to look beyond the hills and pray to the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo of the hills of Medellín outside my hotel room