When Hope Interrupts Hatred

“Excuse me. I must be going now.” The businessman’s demeanor remained polite though irritation flashed in his once-friendly eyes. We’d been having a nice conversation up to that point. But everything changed when I said that Jesus was the only way to God.

“Of course,” I nodded. “It was nice talking with you.”

As he hurried off down the street, I noticed a bystander glaring at me. His arms were crossed and malice seemed to radiate right out of him. In all my years living in the Middle East, I’d never experienced anything like it.

I turned to my friend Hosni, a Muslim-background believer. Like me, Hosni had been thrilled by the opportunity to visit this town a few hours south of where we lived. There were no known believers in the area, a fact that had weighed heavily on both our hearts for some time. But now Hosni looked tired. Defeated.

I sighed. “Maybe we should get out of here.”

As we headed to our borrowed car, Hosni asked if we were going home. Though I didn’t want to leave feeling so discouraged, I wasn’t sure what else to do. Leading up to our trip, Hosni and I had prayed for divine appointments with people of peace, but so far all we’d encountered were hard hearts, disinterest, and even hostility.

I wondered why God would call us to this place if we were only going to leave disappointed. Maybe there was more for us to do.

Jesus is the only way to have your sins forgiven and be reconciled with God. How could I follow anyone else?

Pulling away from the curb, I drove around the corner. When I came to a traffic light, I stopped and silently asked the Lord to refresh our spirits. Immediately, I noticed a gelateria further up the road. “How about an ice cream break?”

Hosni quickly agreed, and I found a place to park. When we entered the shop, the worker behind the counter greeted us with a booming voice. “Welcome. I am Dhafar. How can I help you?”

After Dhafar took our orders, he asked, “What brings you here today? Work?”

“Yes. Kingdom work.” I explained what I meant but as soon as I called Jesus the King, Dhafar’s countenance changed.

“I know who Jesus is. Thank you.” He remained silent as he finished preparing our items, then slid two bowls across the counter. “Here.”

Hosni and I both thanked him and claimed a table. The moment we sat, Dhafar spoke again. “Why don’t you become Muslims? I’ve heard your religion is corrupted.”

Hosni shoveled a giant spoonful of pistachio gelato into his mouth, leaving me to answer.

I smiled at Dhafar. “Jesus is the only way to have your sins forgiven and be reconciled to God. How could I follow anyone else?”

We will pray for the Lord to soften hearts.

After the day we’d had, Hosni and I both expected Dhafar to react poorly. Instead he shuffled closer, seemingly intrigued.

“How did you get your sins forgiven? Jesus can do that?”

Before I could explain further, the bell on the door jingled. The man who had glared at me earlier barged inside. “You two need to leave! Go back to where you came from!”

With the man watching my every move, I knew asking Dhafar for a way to contact him might put him in jeopardy. Hosni and I left without another word.

As we returned to our car, the enraged man stormed after us. Then he climbed into his own vehicle and slammed the door. Instead of speeding away, he trailed close behind us for several blocks, honking his horn and yelling out his window whenever I slowed.

Colorful signs flashed in my peripheral vision, but I could hardly decipher them as I kept my eyes on the rearview mirror, holding my breath as the man stayed on our tail.

When we reached the outskirts of town, he finally gave up his pursuit. Hosni and I were shocked by the degree of opposition we’d encountered, but Dhafar’s questions about forgiveness had also given us hope. Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ, and though Dhafar heard only a little, he was interested in learning more.

Perhaps there are others in this town like Dhafar. They simply need someone to come and share the Gospel. Hosni and I hope that we can encourage another Muslim-background believer from our city to travel to Dhafar’s town and follow up on the interest he expressed. Until then, we will pray for the Lord to soften hearts.

Orar:

• Ask God to protect Frontiers field workers when they face opposition for sharing the Gospel in the least-reached places in the Muslim world.
• Pray that God will touch the hearts of Muslim men and women, so they will be receptive to the Good News when they hear it.
• Praise God for calling Frontiers field workers to share the Gospel in Muslim communities where there are still no believers. Ask Him to prepare and send more workers so all peoples will hear the truth about Jesus Christ!