Do you believe that God actually times our steps, phone
calls, or words? I stepped out of a store and unexpectedly bumped into Zahra
who was wrestling with emotional pain.
Just when I phoned Safia she had been thinking of me because she found
my photo in a drawer. An abusive husband got arrested by police right in front
of us on our very first visit in their home.
Walking past a Muslim couple in a park Layla, the wife, asked me if she
could go to church with me! Ayesha had a
dream about heaven which she shared with me. Believe it or not, my eyes, not by
coincidence, fell on a card which partly depicted her dream so I bought it for
her. Some people might refer to such
encounters as coincidences but in reality they have been planned by a sovereign
God for a specific reason. He truly can sovereignly time and guide our steps,
words, and actions. Over time I have
grown sensitive in identifying His voice, learned to listen carefully, and tried
to follow through with what He says to me. Go
there. Look over there. Stop. Linger for
a minute. Phone so and so. Share that
story, thought, song, or verse. Today
it would be better to wear that outfit. Be
sure to take your Bible with you today. Tuck
a Jesus dvd in your purse today. I
do not know why these things are whispered to me but I act on His
instructions. I pray, Lord, please guide my steps or my phone
calls today, and He does. It remains a mystery to me!
Nowadays I have been reading the book of Esther. God is not specifically
mentioned but He was constantly at work in a very exciting narrative: a certain
young woman was humanly picked to be Queen but appointed by God, she was from a
specific Jewish family, a king had a troubling dream which was most likely
planned by God on that very night, Haman proposed an idea for honoring
someone(Mordecai) which had to have been designed by God Himself, Mordecai and
Esther were given favor, etc. Nothing happened by coincidence. Occasionally I receive letters from Christian women wanting to know where and when to meet Muslim women. However, there are no humanly devised guaranteed strategies because God has His own unique ways and timing of how/where/when we will be sent to Muslim women. I have learned the importance of hearing the voice of the Spirit. His guiding voice is more valuable than all the resources for Muslim ministry available nowadays, even if they are excellent in content. They are just tools like my book and blog are. First we need to grow in following the voice of the Spirit. We declare we believe in the doctrine about the Holy Spirit but may not hear His voice. This matter is one of the most necessary areas of mastering in engaging with Muslims. Once understood and mastered new opportunities in ministry will open up.
Dear heavenly Father, please grow me in this necessary and
sensitive dimension of ministry among Muslims.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
