Counted Against Me

“God will count this day against me,” my Muslim friend Rostam said.

He had spent the entire day with me. I had friends visiting from the U.S., and we were exploring ancient sites and landmarks in our Middle Eastern city. My friends had marveled at God’s creation, praising Him for making us in His image and for giving us the ability to create. All day long, we had openly declared our praise to the Lord.

But Rostam was riddled with guilt. He hadn’t completed all the daily prayers required by Islam.

“God will count this day against me because I didn’t pray,” he lamented.

It didn’t surprise me to hear him say this. I know how many Muslims face impossible pressure to follow religious requirements perfectly in hopes of increasing their chances of entering heaven.

It’s a frightening way to live, never knowing if God is for you or against you.

What did surprise me, however, is how Rostam’s words discouraged me.

Our team has been praying for Rostam for many years. He’s heard the Gospel many times, and I’ve shared Bible stories with him often.

But Rostam remains trapped in a belief that his deeds determine how pleased, or how angry, God is with him. Like many other Muslims, he believes that his good works are constantly being recorded alongside his sins. And in the end, they’ll be put in a balance so God can judge him for everything he’s ever done.

Rostam hopes that his good deeds will outweigh the bad. But he knows that his sins add up just as quickly as his good works. And those bad deeds could be enough to tip the scales against him.

What a frightening way to live, never knowing for sure if God is for you or against you.

Yet this is what makes the Gospel so sweet: regardless of what we’ve done, we can wake up with the assurance that we are loved by God and redeemed by Jesus Christ.

Please pray for Rostam to discover and embrace Christ’s perfect work of righteousness instead of counting on his own flawed efforts.