Don’t Leave Me

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:37-39, NIV.

For two years Ahmad* lived as a secret follower of Jesus. He feared that if he told his wife she would leave him and take their two children with her. The internal conflict created in his heart of his secret relationship with Jesus was overwhelming. Ahmad was convicted by the Holy Spirit that he could no longer remain silent; he had to tell his wife that he was a follower of Jesus.

That same evening he sat his wife down and took a deep breath. He prayed that God would be merciful and keep his family together. Then he said, “Tini, I can no longer hide from you that I am a follower of Jesus.”

Tini broke in on Ahmad’s confession. She said, “You aren’t going to leave me, are you?” With joy and gratitude to God in his heart, Ahmad assured his wife that he had no intention of leaving her or the children.

Tini is not yet a believer, but she is staying with Ahmad. Not every story like this one has this happy ending. Many Muslim-background believers have to choose between confessing Jesus openly and keeping their family in tact. When Ahmad chose to confess Christ, he easily could have lost his wife and children. The pressure in his culture to conform or to remain silent is that strong.

*Names changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

God will intervene and grant favor for Muslim-background believers with their family so that they can openly confess Jesus without losing those important relationships.

Tini and the children will join Ahmad in following Jesus.

Ahmad and Tini will join with other Muslim-background believers to form a growing gathering in their city.

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