Strengthened by Worship

“Let everything that lives sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6

What a foretaste of heaven this past Sunday watching twenty two children walk down the aisle carrying flags representing their parents’ lands of origin. Following them was a host of men and women in their cultural clothes accented with an array of fascinating hats and head dresses joyfully dancing their way down to the front of the church. It was good to be in the house of God. I get starved for corporate worship times. All week long I am out among my beloved Muslim friends trying to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. I’m on the front line. Like this week. Azita who has professed Christ visited her country for a month and came back with an amulet. Anyone who has dealt with charms knows there will be a struggle to let go of them. She wasn't ready to let go of it completely. Sadly I received the Bible back I had given to Mohammed and Fahima. It made me want to cry. So many Muslims are afraid of the Book. Surprise - a few days later they wanted the Bible back!  A regular Scripture reading time was started with Habiba. Yeah! Light and truth began invading the darkness.  Another visit was made to the home of Yezidi Iraqis who follow a strange secretive religion and adorn their homes with pictures of peacocks which are supposed to represent the chief angel watching over the earth. Where does one begin with proclaiming truth, I wondered? Nadia, a conservative Muslim lady, actually wagged her finger in condemnation at me because I didn’t say prescribed prayers five times a day. I sat in shock as I heard three year old Hamoodi yell the b word to his mom repeatedly. Then the last home I visited this week I encountered Abdullah, sedated, mentally disturbed and unable to work who needs to be set free from religious obsessions and delusions.  By the end of the week I felt depleted. It strengthens me on Sundays to gather with my Christian brothers and sisters to worship our wonderful Savior. I need corporate worship desperately.

My private times of worship at home or outdoors or in the middle of the night are intimate and precious. They are my soul’s life line. But I still need more. God knew in advance that we would need the gathering of brothers and sisters in Jesus to worship corporately to receive inner strength.  A result of worshipping privately and corporately is that my soul gets adjusted, filled and strengthened so I am ready to go out once again to reach Muslims. If you are trying to reach Muslims with the Good News don’t let the fires of worship die down. We won’t get far in our witness to Muslims if our hearts are not first filled with worship. Maria, a Muslim Background Believer who is in full time ministry to Muslims phoned me this week and said, “Joy, I’m so tired of working for Jesus. I have decided to take some time every month to just spend with the Lord.” How wise - and how utterly delightful! When worship goes – so does the evangelist.

Dear heavenly Father, a mysterious strengthening takes place in my heart when I worship You. Keep the fires of worship alive in me forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Confusion

“…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!....John 14:11b

Each dawn I was awakened by the adhan in Somalia. The muezzin's loud voice frightened me. He sounded angry as he reminded people to pray. Some of my initial impressions of God were formed from those bellowing adhan. It took decades to realize that their influence formed confusion in me about God.

One of the biggest surprises to me in the past 34 years of ministry has been to observe the confusion in the minds of Muslims about Allah and Shaitan. Many have not understood who Shaitan is, where he comes from, and how he works. Sometimes I ask Muslim women, “What does God do and what does Shaitan do?” Their answers have been revealing! There is little understanding of the Kingdom of heaven and the Kingdom of earth, the Kingdom of light and the Kingdom of darkness or the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Shaitan. Some of my Muslim friends are confused whether Allah created evil since he created all things. Many conclude that involvement in  folk Islamic activities and practices are legitimate because  "there is power in them and they work."  Some Muslim friends play tapes of the Qur’an at home to banish the presence of Shaitan and jinn. At times they feel Shaitan is more present than Allah. Maryam, a Muslim Background Believer friend, still believes after twenty years of following Jesus,  that Shaitan is all knowing, all powerful, and present everywhere and can read our thoughts. She worries about Shaitan being able to read her thoughts which on ocassion are not good thoughts. Confusion really shows up when Muslims start talking about Allah punishes, sends bad luck, gets angry quickly, tests, and gives the dreaded “examination.” The end. Rarely do you hear anything further that he loves to forgive, heal, comfort, restore, rebuild, reconcile, transform, and redeem. There is fear of Allah and fear of Shaitan. Some think Allah tempts them. And Shaitan tempts them. Some think Allah deceives people. And Shaitan deceives people. While most profess with their mouths that Allah is great their hearts reveal that fear of jinn and Shaitan are greater.

Muslims will declare that "Allah is nearer to man than his jugular vein." His will can be known but he is personally unknowable. Yet Habiba pointed to the vein in her arm and stated, “Shaitan is right here”; meaning in her blood. She was surprised when I told her that Shaitan is not in my veins or my blood. He is outside of me. He tempts me and tells me to do bad things but he is outside of me. Isa lives in me, not Shaitan. They can not both live in me. I hear all kinds of baffling opinions about Allah and Shaitan. It is important to teach clearly from the Bible about Jehovah God and Satan. Satan has always been determined to make us confused about God. It is by knowing Jesus that we can know God. Let us make Jesus known.

Dear heavenly Father, You are not a God of confusion. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name, Amen.