“My favorite name of Allah is Al Ghafur, the Forgiver.”
I was sitting on a park bench with my student and new friend, Manar*, as her daughters played nearby. The Spirit had led me to ask some questions about her faith and listen – He wanted to make the Good News personal for her.
“That is a beautiful name. Why is it special to you?”
She transmitted her answer through a mix of simple English sentences, Arabic words that I had learned, and Google Translate (praise God for technology). It went something like this:
“I have a lot of anger. I say things that I regret to the people I love. They forgive me, and Allah forgives me always. But I want to change. I try so hard to, but I can’t. I pray, and I feel better – but the anger always comes back.”
As she spoke, the Spirit of God brought me back to memories of the anger that ruled over me before I gave my life to the Son. I remembered the sharp insults I hurled and the biting sarcasm I used to conceal my deep-rooted fears and insecurities. I recounted what it felt like for anger to take the reigns, and for a comment to come out of my mouth that I didn’t even want to say.
Redemption through Jesus
Then, I remembered how my Savior came into the picture and changed everything. He addressed the source of the problem, bringing healing to my deepest wounds. Anger still comes and goes, but it has no true power in the face of belief. This is what the Good News does. Only by the blood of the Son of the Most High is sin defeated.
In basic terms (and with the help of my dear friend Google), I shared my story with her. The Spirit led me through every word, supplying me with the boldness to give all credit to the Resurrected One. She smiled softly and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight.
I am comforted by the fact that God loves these women more than I’ll ever be able to. He formed them in the womb, knows their greatest dreams and pains, and longs for them to be restored to relationship with Himself.
Since coming to Equip, I’ve acquired a wide selection of useful tools for engaging Muslims with the Good News. But the greatest evangelism tool I have is the ability to listen. As God inclines His ear to His children, we must incline our ears to the lost and hurting unreached world. Jesus wants to meet them in the most meaningful, deeply personal way.
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