Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread...
Your very word spoken to me.
And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm lost without you
It was a muggy summer evening. We were driving through an isolated stretch in the middle of Saskatchewan when we heard a community announcement on the radio about a lost puppy. The owner was desperate. And recently I spotted this sign at several major intersections about a lost dog. Well, I do hope they found their pets. People get very attached to their dogs. People also lose their way...they haven't found the loving Heavenly Father who is waiting for them. We all have a need to belong.
Many Muslims emigrate to the West to get away from repressive or corrupt governments. Such was the case with Asif. Although he had a good position in a company, he was being harassed by authorities for his lifestyle. Asif was severely punished for the alcohol that was found in his home. After he lost hope that anything would improve, he took his family and escaped across the desert to a neighboring country. It was there that he tasted greater freedom to ask questions about God. People like these aren't interested in challenging Christianity. They're simply done with religion and wander around looking for truth. After arriving in Canada, Asif tried fitting into a church but that didn't work out. His search for God seemed to wither and die. He is now left empty.
Farzana is formulating her own religion. She says, "I'm a no-name brand' when it comes to religion. She was tired of religious leaders telling her what she was not allowed to do. She'd be in trouble back home with her views. There are many just like her in the West who don't want conservative Islamic practices imposed on them. We've seen a growing number of atheists as a result of atrocities in the Muslim world or because of unfulfilled dreams during Arab Spring. The Iranian Revolution triggered an increased focus on conservative Islam but also a growing disillusionment. On the surface it looks like all is going well for Farzana. She seems like a stellar person. Recently we had an opportunity to give her an overview of God's message to the world...to her. She needs Jesus to find a true spiritual home.
Ayaan, a Somali writer, views herself a transformer of Islam. She sets 5 impossible conditions for reform in Islam in her latest book Heretic. Disillusioned activists and reformers like her may have political answers but nothing for the needs of the soul.
Jesus didn't dwell on the social ills of his day as much as on the underlying spiritual needs of people. "He came to find the lost people and save them."(Luke 19:10) and "...to give them a rich and satisfying life." If we get bogged down with discussing peripheral issues, we will probably miss an opportunity to share like Jesus did. So let's keep on loving Muslims and sharing Jesus. These friends are not lost to God. Praise God, there has been a rapid increase of Muslim background believers in churches.
Dear Jesus, thank you for bringing hope and meaning to the world. I long to share this with the 'lost' people in my world. Amen
