We just returned from a trip to Las Vegas (exhausted sigh). This is our 4th time to Las Vegas and while there are new buildings going up, new restaurants and clubs opening, and new showings playing every year, it’s still the same. There is a big convention for commercial retailers there every year so Bill goes and has meeting after meeting for several days and I spend my time at the pool or running around the city, checking things out. This can be dangerous for me as we all know I’m a processor by nature, and there is a ton to process in that city. Much to Bill’s dismay, I spent a lot of time processing again this year. I must admit that I LOVE the sun and warmth, even when it gets up to 100 degrees or more. It must be because I live in Michigan where a hot day is 85 degrees, and I miss the real heat of summer. I also love the food in Las Vegas. Whatever one could possibly crave is available there, often 24 hrs a day. It’s actually overwhelming to me and I find myself paralyzed with too many choices. Again, much to Bill’s dismay I am even more indecisive when we’re there. Having so many choices makes me think I might make the wrong one and therefore opt to not make any at all. I know, I’m a mess, but this is not the point. I also find myself in awe of the sheer determination it took for people to go to the middle of the desert and create what is now one of the most widely visited cities in the country. It’s not only a popular destination for Americans, but is most certainly a world-renown destination. The shopping options are beyond comprehension and I could spend days (literally) and still not hit every store. The entertainment is some of the best in the world as well, from what I understand. There are at least 100 shows to choose from on any given day, and most of them are amazing. We’ve seen several Cirque du Soleil shows in years past and this year got a chance to see The Lion King musical, which was fantastic. So many things to do and see there, it truly is amazing.
But…you knew there was a but, didn’t you? You had to know it was coming. For all the glamour and excitement, I’m always a little tormented when we go there. As I walked this week, I processed what I saw around me. I saw what looked to be an underpass where some homeless people were finding shelter, shadowed by a multi-billion dollar resort. I passed signs that read such things as “Vanity Club – Sin Every Sunday Night”. I walked past countless “newspaper” machines that held catalogues of prostitutes categorized by their physical traits. I saw the faces of people that came to Las Vegas to take their chances at the betting tables or slots in hopes of striking it rich, and none of them looked even remotely happy. I listened to songs that sang of getting drunk and having sex with whoever was close enough to grab. I watched people spend their hard-earned money on things like strip clubs and overpriced drinks, sometimes at 7 or 8 in the morning. I talked with old men and women who were still up at 7am after a night of gambling and hard drinking, who thought I was crazy to be wearing a tank top, not realizing it was 85 degrees outside because they hadn’t left the casino in days. This is fabulous Las Vegas.
Bill and I go round and round every year about what I struggle with when we go there. I’m not going to rehash our discussion, but I will say a few things of what we determined. First, we aren’t angry with the people we see – the situation makes our hearts hurt. Second, God loves the people in Las Vegas.
I believe what gives us such a difficult time there is that the Spirit that lives inside us is in direct opposition to the spirits that are at work in Las Vegas. We’re not at war with the people, we’re at war with the spirit of the place. Lust is being sold in Las Vegas, and everyone’s buying. I struggle with it too when I’m there. I am told to eat whatever I want, drink whatever I want, have whatever I want, no matter the cost to me or anyone else. Indulgence is the name of the game – forget everything else. And sex is the number one seller. There was an interview on the news one night that was startling and a bit sickening. The man who owns The Bunny Ranch, a legal brothel outside the city limits, was commenting on how he believes they could cut down on illegal prostitution and human trafficking in the city limits. (I can barely think the phrase “human trafficking” without an ache in my heart and tears in my eyes.) He made the statement, “Las Vegas used to be a gaming town with some sex in it. Las Vegas has become a sex town with some gaming in it.”
So what do we do? There were moments when I felt overwhelmed by it all and I just wanted to bury my head in my book and pretend like none of it was happening. And I will admit that’s what I did at times. But there were other moments when my heart was so heavy with the mess all around, that I did the only thing I knew to do – I prayed. I was reminded of the opportunity God has given me in prayer, to be a part of the solution instead of standing by shaking my finger at the problem or ignoring it all together. My judgment isn’t going to change anything, but my prayers can. He put in my heart the desire to pray for healing and restoration of the city. (He, after all, loves cities as He designed them and plans for us to live in one for eternity.) He encouraged me to pray for the local church, for power and wisdom to battle the spiritual darkness there. He helped me pray for a deeper sense of love for all the folks who are being misled, and even those who are doing the misleading. I felt peace as I was able to lift this burden to Him. He sees it and knows it and feels the pain of it every day. I only had to face it for 5 days.
I guess what I’m trying to say is as believers in the true God of the universe, it is not only our duty to pray for the dying world around us, it’s our right and privilege to do so. He has given us a way to care for the world even when we feel helpless and surrounded by hopelessness. I am a walking example what He can do in a hopeless situation, and I must remember that when faced with what seem to be dead ends in life. And if there ever was a place of dead ends, it’s Las Vegas.
God is still there, and He’s still in whatever situation you are facing today that seems hopeless to you. So pray. And when you’re done praying, pray again, and again, and again until the peace of Jesus settles in, removing the darkness and bringing the light. Everything looks different in the light of Jesus, even Las Vegas.
I’m not suggesting it will all change when you finally say “amen” – after all, there were hundreds more people arriving as we were leaving yesterday - but just knowing God is alive, even in a place like Las Vegas, is hope enough for today. It was enough for me to be able to have a good time while I was there, and that’s saying a lot!
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