The final installment of Tarek’s journey of faith. Click here for part 1 and part 2.
Tarek was encountering Jesus Christ from all sides, it seemed. Meanwhile, we continued to play the part of audience in the amazing story God was writing in his life.
Tarek consumed chapters and chapters of the Bible. Kevin and Tarek still had daily spiritual conversations. And in the Qur’an, Tarek kept discovering verses about Jesus being more than a man, a Person worth following.His faith in Jesus Christ was growing, and we felt like all we were really doing was praying and watching Tarek fall in love with Jesus.
As a displaced Syrian, Tarek was eventually granted refugee status in a country where he hoped to reunited with his family, but it did not bring the immediate departure for which he had hoped. While waiting, Tarek sometimes fell into discouragement and depression.
On one such day, Tarek stopped Kevin as he was walking to our team’s prayer room, where he often prayed for Tarek, for our host country, and for the Muslims living within it.
“Kevin, please pray,” Tarek pled. “The people at the embassy don’t return my calls when I try to find out when my departure will be. I feel hopeless, like I will never get to see my family. Please pray to God for me.”
Kevin agreed. “I’ll pray for you now,” he promised.
During his prayer shift, Kevin interceded, “God, I pray that the embassy will call today.”
A few hours later, Kevin received a phone call from an elated Tarek. “They called!” Tarek exclaimed. “They called! They never call, and then you prayed, and they called! This is a sign. God is listening to your prayers!”
The following week, as Tarek continued seeking for answers about Jesus, God again used the Qur’an to bring him closer to truth.
In the pages of the Qur’an, he discovered Jesus described as the One who has power to forgive sin. Tarek knew that only God could forgive sin. The logical conclusion then, from all his studying and reading, was that Jesus must indeed be God Himself! The Gospels must be true, and Jesus must truly be who He said He is.
We began to wonder: What would be the definitive step for Tarek to enter the Kingdom of God? How many times would God reveal truth to him? How often would Kevin and Tarek be able to converse about the truth of Jesus and His love?
Only days later, Tarek’s depression and disappointment over the wait for his visa returned. He called Kevin to request prayer just as Kevin was again on his way to the place of prayer.
“I’m waiting again for the embassy to call,” Tarek explained. “I need to see my family. Kevin, please continue to pray.”
Kevin agreed to pray.
We shouldn’t have been surprised when, a few hours later, Tarek called Kevin back with amazing news.
“Kevin, my brother,” Tarek began excitedly. “They called again! They told me that I will be able to leave in two weeks! You prayed, and this is the second sign. This is the sign.”
And for the first time, Tarek announced his conviction, “I will follow Jesus forever! It is finished!”
Tarek left two weeks later.
Our goodbyes were hard. Tears were shed. Tarek, overcome with grief over parting ways with Kevin, even mentioned not wanting to leave. “You have to leave,” Kevin told him. He could not stay here in this temporary country.
“But I will always follow Jesus,” Tarek affirmed. “You know this, Kevin. I love you so much! This was God’s design that I picked you up in my taxi that first day. And now, I love Jesus! I love Jesus so much!”
Our family misses Tarek every day. We still pray for him almost daily. He and Kevin email and chat several times a week. And just yesterday, they spoke over the phone—which, in our country, is no small technological feat!
“I love you, my brother,” Tarek said.
“Oh, we miss you every day, Tarek,” Kevin replied.
Before hanging up the phone, they praised God together for His Kingdom, for bringing the two of them together, and for their brotherhood in the fellowship of Jesus Christ.
Original article: FrontiersUSA.org/blog/article/a-journey-of-faith-3-an-audience
**Names and places have been changed for security.**
