I Found It!

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:8, NAS.

For many years Jamie* has worked on the Baptist teaching farm. He taught many people about keeping goats, farming techniques, drilling wells, and using hunting dogs, but the primary goal of each class was simply to share spiritual truth with lost people. While reactions over the years have been varied, Jamie will never forget the response of a man named Samuel.

Samuel was a devout Muslim. He came to the farm for one month of training in agriculture. In the evening Jamie visited the barracks where the trainees lived and shared Chronological Bible Stories. Normally Jamie spread the stories out over the entire month, but Samuel wanted to hear it all. In one evening Jamie shared all the stories from Adam to Abraham.

Samuel said, “For 40 years I have searched for this, and at last I have found it.” That night he committed himself to follow Isa (the Arabic name for Jesus). Jamie gave him a Bible to read, and Samuel soaked it in like a sponge. Samuel deeply felt his responsibility to share what he had discovered with his people, but he felt overwhelmed that he had no idea how to go about it.

One evening while Samuel was praying, he noticed a light shining in a bush outside the barracks. He went out to examine the bush thinking that someone was outside, but he found no one. Then a beam of light surrounded him like the spot light on a theatrical stage. After that experience Samuel tried to go to sleep, but he was too excited.

When he was still awake at 4:00 a.m., he decided to take a walk. As he walked by the house of one of the farm staff, he heard a man and woman praying for him by name. Knowing that people were praying for him was a real encouragement. After his walk, he was finally able to go to sleep.

The next day he was exhausted and asked to be excused from classes. Samuel shared with Jamie about his vision. Jamie shared with him about Moses being sent to Egypt to proclaim release from slavery through a burning bush. Jamie said, “God is sending you to be a light to your people.”

Again Samuel felt overwhelmed that God was sending him to shine the light of the Gospel to his people. He began offering excuses. Jamie smiled and shared that Moses also gave excuses at first, but God strengthened him. He would strengthen Samuel for this task.

By the end of the training Samuel was convinced of his calling, and he had found courage to share what he had found at the farm with his village. His wife was very devoted to Islam, so he knew he’d have to move slowly with her. He knew she would watch him to see if the change in his life was real. Samuel began sharing with his family and with people from his village. In the course of one year he led his entire family to faith, and he also led the Imam or Mosque leader to faith in Jesus. Doubts began to plague Samuel again, as he felt unequipped to disciple all these new believers.

Jamie encouraged Samuel by reminding him that the Holy Spirit dwells inside him as a follower of Jesus and that the Bible is a reliable guide to grow as a believer. Samuel continues to grow, and the more he learns to trust the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the more effective he becomes as a light to his people.

Samuel wants to spend time with God’s people and be baptized, but he realizes that he will lose his influence and voice with his people if he overly identifies with the church. So for the time being Samuel is walking by faith one step at a time, and just one step ahead of the people he is leading. While he may doubt his abilities at times, one thing Samuel never doubts is the truth of what he has found in Jesus.

*Names changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

Believers like Samuel will find wisdom and strength to live out their faith one step at a time with unswerving confidence in the reliability of the Holy Spirit and the Bible.

The believers from Samuel’s village will form a group that will catch Samuel’s vision of being a light to all their people.

Believers like Jamie will not lose sight of the reason they are doing good works but will continue to be bold to proclaim spiritual truth.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.