Take Heart

It was 4:00 p.m. in the middle of Ramadan, the month-long fast of our Muslim friends, and the town was quiet because most families were at home. My nursing friend, Faith*, had invited me to her house for Iftar—the breaking of the fast. Faith and I both fasted that day in preparation, and both of us with hope. You see, Faith came to know Jesus three years ago. She continues to engage in Islamic religious holidays but now with the understanding that her fasting is not an attempt to earn her way to Heaven. Instead, she fasts to intercede for her friends and family so that they might know Jesus too.

We took a taxi to her house that day, as it was 45° C, and we were already dripping from the short walk to the main road. We prayed that Jesus would give us the words to say, that He would open hearts and minds. We knew we were entering battle. Faith’s father beats her almost every day. He walks from room to room daily, reading the Quran over the home. The last time I visited, the Spirit closed my ears so that I could not understand a word coming out of this man’s mouth. Jesus told me, “You will only hear truth”. I heard nothing. I shared this with my prayer groups back in Canada and called up my army to begin to pray for this man, this home, and this family.

But this time it was different. We sat together and, as usual, he began to talk about his holy book. “Take heart,” Jesus told us, “I am with you.” Conversation led to asking Faith’s father if he had ever read the Bible. He replied, “No.” We acknowledged all the stories that he had told us and asked if, next time, we could share some stories too. To our delight—and surprise—he said yes. And then Jesus took it one step further. Faith’s dad asked for a Bible! How can this be? This man’s heart is hard. He is vicious, mean, and unrelenting in his own beliefs. Over time here, I have learned not to question the ways in which Jesus works. He constantly surprises me!

A few days later, after school, we gave Faith a Bible to give to her father. She came back to tell me, “Miss Rachel, I don’t know if my dad opened his Bible. But, it sits on his nightstand next to his Quran.” This is a victory, my friends! The truth has entered this home!

One of my greatest lessons from the past few years has been to say, “Yes!” to Jesus, even when I am scared, confused, or unsure of His way of doing things. Often, He asks me to say something or do something that seems so small and insignificant—maybe to give a Bible to someone, share a verse that has been on my heart, a word of encouragement, or to pray for them. The question I often ask myself is; “Do I have enough faith that, even in those small things, Jesus will do a big work?” Many of those commended for their faith in Hebrews 11 never saw the fruits of the harvest. Yet there was a harvest. Jesus invites us into this season of planting, no matter how small the seed. I do not know what will happen with Faith’s father. But I do know that Jesus is writing his story and He’s not done yet!

*name changed