Joel stood in front of the biggest mosque on the busiest street in a city of millions. It was near sunset on a typical day of fasting during a previous year’s Ramadan.
The street was packed with men waiting to break the day’s fast. Street vendors crowded sidewalks with their mobile kitchens, filling the air with oil and spices.
Once the sun set, men shared plates of street food together, enjoying a meal after a long day of fasting. Joel navigated the crowds, greeting and chatting with groups of people. It felt like a huge block party.
Salek had this dream many times as a child and always woke up screaming.
In the heightened spirituality of Ramadan, Joel found that many of his conversations naturally led to opportunities to share the Gospel. He’d simply ask a person how the fast was going, and soon he’d be talking about Jesus with a large group of men.
During one conversation, Joel met a young Muslim named Salek. He learned that Salek didn’t fast or pray like Muslims are taught to. The young man had lost hope in Islam and had given up on religion.
But there was still one thing Salek still held onto: a recurring dream from his childhood.
In this dream, Salek had been walking along a path that led toward a wall of rocks. Suddenly the wall started to collapse. Salek was afraid the rocks would fall on him. He screamed and ran, but there was no way out.
Salek had this dream many times as a child and always woke up screaming.
Then one night the dream changed, and Salek saw a narrow lane leading to a way out—a door through which he could escape.
“I’ve always wondered about the meaning of that dream,” Salek said to Joel. “You seem like a spiritual person. What do you think it means?”
One night the dream changed, and Salek saw a narrow lane leading to a way out.
“I’ll tell you what I think it means,” Joel offered. He shared Matthew 7:13–14, where Jesus says the way to destruction is easy, but the way that leads to eternal life is narrow and difficult, and few find it.
“Jesus Christ is the escape,” Joel said. “He’s the way that leads to safety with our Heavenly Father.”
For the next hour, Joel shared with Salek how Jesus is the path to eternal peace and safety.
“This is the first time that my dream has made sense,” Salek said. “The big path was leading me to harm. But Jesus is the way out—the door to eternal life.”
Salek accepted Joel’s invitation to meet again to learn more about Jesus. Now they’re meeting regularly to study God’s Word together.
- Praise God for using a recurring childhood dream to prepare Salek’s heart for the truth of the Gospel.
- Pray that Salek will fully accept Jesus Christ as His Savior and that he will share the Good News with his family.
- Ask God to give spiritual dreams and visions to men, women, and children in every Muslim community around the world.
On an evening near the end of Ramadan, Muslims around the world stay awake praying throughout the entire night.
Discover what makes this night so important for 1.8 billion people.
This account comes from a long-term worker and was originally published on February 6, 2017. Names have been changed for security.