Cars sped by on the pot-holed road. Most of them were battered old taxis full of passengers on their way to the market.
Irena, a long-term Frontiers worker, stood at the side of the road, squinting into the oncoming traffic. She stuck her hand out and waved it limply, signaling drivers to stop if they had any space left for her.
A clean white Mercedes stopped in front of her. Irena knew this wasn’t a taxi. The car was well cared for. And the clean-shaven, smartly dressed driver was clearly on his way to work in some office in the city center.
The driver asked Irene where she was going. She ignored him and continued looking into traffic for a shared taxi.
It is common for owners of private cars to pick up strangers—to make extra cash or just to be a kind and upstanding citizen. But Irena generally didn’t accept rides from private drivers.
In this conservative Muslim culture, a single foreign woman getting in a car alone with a man looked suspicious. Irena preferred shared taxis. She felt a sense of community and safety with other passengers all headed toward the same destination.
“Sayyida,” the man called to Irena, calling her by a title of respect, “where are you going?”
She glanced back at him and relented. After all, she’d already been waiting on the side of the road for nearly fifteen minutes.
“To the market,” she replied.
He waved at her to get in—the non-verbal cue that he could take her.
Irena climbed into the back seat and mumbled a quiet greeting and began praying silently, as she always did. She was grateful for his kindness, but she had no intention to make conversation with the stranger.
Then she heard him crying. Irena glanced at the driver and saw tears streaming down his face.
“Sayyida,” he said, “I believe God sent you to me today.”
Years ago, he told her, he had found a Bible. He started to read it. When he came to the part about Jesus Christ, he was amazed at what he discovered.
“Jesus is all about peace, love, and forgiveness. But Islam teaches fear and rejection.”
He wiped his eyes. “I have decided: I can’t follow the way of fear anymore. I want to follow Jesus Christ. I want His peace. I know I could lose my job, my family, and even be killed.”
Irena nodded, silently praying that God would give her the words to speak.
“I don’t want to be a Muslim anymore,” he confessed as he stopped his car nearby the market.
The man turned around and looked at Irena. “Can you help me follow Jesus?”
She took a moment to consider her words, and then replied, “What you say is true: If you follow Jesus Christ, you could lose everything. But I can tell you—He is worth anything you might lose in this life.”
Irena took his number and promised to introduce him to one of her male teammates who would help him learn more about following Jesus Christ.
Since their meeting, Abdul Majeed—whose name means “servant of the Glorious One”—has begun meeting with one of the men on Irena’s team. As they study the Bible and pray together, Abdul Majeed is learning to follow and obey God.
And he is discovering what had eluded him in Islam—the peace of Jesus Christ.
Pray that Abdul Majeed would continue to grow in love for Jesus and knowledge of the truth.
Ask the Lord to strengthen and equip Abdul Majeed as he faces persecution. In his obedience to Christ, may he “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, [and] be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**
Original article: FrontiersUSA.org/blog/article/a-god-sent-peace