From the Middle East: A Household Now for Christ

It all started when Ibrahim began spending more and more time with one of his friends. At first, the changes were small, barely noticeable. But then Ibrahim began to pray differently and began to act differently from how a Muslim man normally would. Fatima became suspicious of Ibrahim’s behavior and suspected that he had abandoned Islam. When he shared that he had become a Christian, she angrily rejected his new faith.

Patient and persistent

But Ibrahim did not give up. From time to time, he would talk to Fatima about Jesus, and he continued praying for her. The Lord began to soften Fatima’s heart. She saw the changes in her husband and their relationship. In her experience, women living under Islam were seen as inferior, marginalized and treated as tools that men could exploit whenever they wanted. But she realized that this was no longer true for her. The Lord had opened her eyes to see the love and security now found in her husband’s heart.

Ask, seek and knock

Fatima wrestled with this new revelation. She had only ever known Islam to be the true faith. Was what Jesus said true? Was what she’d been taught all her life not true after all?

Jesus promises His people: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7

Fatima sought Jesus, and she found Him. She put her faith in Jesus as her Savior and has now been baptized along with Ibrahim.

Both now face the threat of violence and persecution from their families. Currently, they live in a different country from their family but struggle when family members come to visit. But while she might struggle with her family, Fatima is passionate about sharing her new faith with colleagues and neighbors. She never tires of delivering the good news message of Christ to them.

The story of Ibrahim and Fatima reminds us of one in the book of Acts. Paul and Silas, miraculously freed from prison, comfort the jailer responsible for them. And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” The passage says, “They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house” (Acts 16:31-32). Praise God. He continues to call families to Himself.

Will you pray with us?

• Pray for believers like Ibrahim and Fatima to be patient with their relatives, faithfully loving and serving their families even when they face conflict and opposition.
• Seek God for more to respond to the life-giving gospel and support one another as they grow in their faith.
• Lift up ministries that seek to equip believers to help others come to faith and maturity in Christ.