The One I Want to Follow

Dozens of Muslim women surrounded me on a crowded mat under a thatched shelter. We had gathered to celebrate the birth of a neighbor’s baby.

But my heart broke as I looked around at these women who cared for me when I was ill, taught me where to find the best vegetables in the market, and welcomed me into their lives. They live in near-constant fear of evil, and their daily routines revolve around rituals meant to keep darkness, disease, and death away. They have yet to understand that Jesus has overcome the world.

But that’s beginning to change, starting with Sumaiya.

Before becoming my language tutor, Sumaiya had never seen a Bible. When we started using an Arabic Bible in our lessons, I discovered how hungry she was for the Word. She loved reading it with me.

As my language skills improved, I started using our lessons to practice sharing the Gospel in Arabic. She heard me tell and retell stories of Jesus. I described His work of redemption and the promise of peace in His presence. Meanwhile Sumaiya corrected my grammar and pronunciation over and over until I got each story right.

In spite of her efforts to follow the example of Muhammad, Sumaiya had never felt right before God.

She also asked lots of questions. We often found ourselves deep in conversation and immersed in the Word until well after the end of our lessons. As her interest in Jesus grew, I suggested we finish our times by praying together and asking God to help us live according to His Word.

After one of our lessons, Sumaiya said, “My entire life, I’ve been taught that Muhammad was God’s chosen prophet. Islam taught me that he is the best model for living a life that is righteous enough to please God.”

But in spite of her efforts to follow the example of Muhammad, Sumaiya had never felt right before God.

I turned to Romans 5 in the Arabic Bible we used in our lessons, and together we read that righteousness is a free gift given to us through Jesus Christ.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. — Romans 5:17

“This gives me more peace than I’ve ever felt,” Sumaiya said. Then we prayed for God to help her understand more of the truth of Christ.

At our next lesson a couple of days later, Sumaiya declared that she was ready to embrace Christ’s love and grace.

“Jesus is the truth and the life and the way to God,” she said, remembering our discussion about John 14:6. “He’s the One I want to follow.”

We prayed together, and Sumaiya welcomed Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Since then, she’s immersed herself in the Word and is growing in the knowledge of the truth. It’s filling her heart with joy, and she’s often bursting at the seams to tell others about Jesus.