Finding God: Inspiring Story (and link party!)
Well, it's time for another Inspiring Story! If you would like to participate in this meme, check the rules and details, and be sure to link up!
This week, I'd like to share another testimony from The Jesus Film Project... God is certainly using that ministry in amazing ways. This one comes from the August newsletter.
Tameem, as I will call him, sensed that something was deeply wrong. He lived in a closed nation, wasn't satisfied spiritually, and could not find peace. Thus began his search for God.
First, he went to his local religous leader, asking: "Who is the true God? How can I find peace?" The leader replied, "I cannot help you. To know the secrets of our religion you must first become a 'monk' like me."
Tameem went to his community's house of prayer where he bowed on the floor and prayed earnestly. He felt and experienced nothing. His subsequent attempts to find peace all failed. That's when Tameem realized, "The only religion left is Christianity."
But in his isolated country he had little hope of learning about its "founder," Jesus. So Tameem went to the only source he knew, his religion's holy book, which does mention Jesus. In the few verses that describe Jesus, Tameem found Him most attractive. Yet his book denied that Jesus died on the cross. He was out of answers.
About this time Tameem's wife became incapacitated with severe back pain. She could not walk, or even turn from side-to-side on her bed without suffering excruciating pain. Tameem consulted many doctors, only to be told it would be six months before she could receive corrective surgery.
Sitting at the side of his suffering wife, frustrated and feeling utterly helpless, he prayed. "God -- whoever You are -- reveal yourself to me. Help my wife."
Before he had finished praying those words, Tameem heard an inward voice: "Draw the sign of the cross on your wife's back and say, 'In the name of Jesus, be healed.'" He obeyed, doing exactly what the voice instructed. Instantly, she was healed. Free from pain, she arose and made him dinner!
Now utterly astonished, Tameem began his quest in earnest. Who WAS this Jesus? Again, he found few answers in his closed country. A few months passed...
Tameem and his wife were cleaning house together when they opened a storage drawer below their sofa. Inside they found a cache of items neither he nor his wife remember receiving, much less placing in the drawer: A New Testament, Josh McDowell's book More Than A Carpenter, and a DVD of "JESUS."
Tameem began reading the New Testament with great interest. He and his wife watched the "JESUS" DVD 10 times! At last, he had found the truth, God, and peace. Both became followers of Jesus. They also showed the DVD to may of their neighbors, telling them about the sign of the cross, all that Jesus had done for them, and how He had given them peace... in a closed country. May God receive the glory.
This is not an isolated occurance; God is constantly revealing Himself to people around the world. Why? Because they are searching for Him. The Bible says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) Proverbs 2:4 says that we are to seek for God as for silver. People are searching for God; there is a void in their souls that they try to fill up with so many other things - they don't realize what it is they're missing. But when they are persistent, they find God. In Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus told a parable that is so applicable: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." What Jesus was trying to get across is that this man searched until he found, doing all that was necessary to find that pearl. He didn't give up; he kept searching. And when he found it, he gave up all for it. Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find." Seeking is not just peeking in the dark closet and saying, "Nope, I don't see Him"; it's flipping on the lightswitch and searching every nook and cranny till you can say, "I found You." God is not hiding from you, but you have to do your part to draw close to Him - look for Him. When God sees that you are trying to get closer to Him, He can't help but draw closer to you -- He sees that this one's heart is right, they are are truly searching. The interesting thing about God is that, often, people have been raised in societies that teach nothing about God; so when they start to search for Him, they don't know what to look for. But God is so faithful; He always reveals Himself to those who are truly seeking Him, as He did for the Arab man in the story. James summed it up best when he said: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)
Leave your Inspiring Story here (ends October 3rd):
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links...
The next link party will be held on October 17-19; I hope to see you there!
This week, I'd like to share another testimony from The Jesus Film Project... God is certainly using that ministry in amazing ways. This one comes from the August newsletter.
God Reveals Himself to an Arab man
Tameem, as I will call him, sensed that something was deeply wrong. He lived in a closed nation, wasn't satisfied spiritually, and could not find peace. Thus began his search for God.
First, he went to his local religous leader, asking: "Who is the true God? How can I find peace?" The leader replied, "I cannot help you. To know the secrets of our religion you must first become a 'monk' like me."
Tameem went to his community's house of prayer where he bowed on the floor and prayed earnestly. He felt and experienced nothing. His subsequent attempts to find peace all failed. That's when Tameem realized, "The only religion left is Christianity."
But in his isolated country he had little hope of learning about its "founder," Jesus. So Tameem went to the only source he knew, his religion's holy book, which does mention Jesus. In the few verses that describe Jesus, Tameem found Him most attractive. Yet his book denied that Jesus died on the cross. He was out of answers.
About this time Tameem's wife became incapacitated with severe back pain. She could not walk, or even turn from side-to-side on her bed without suffering excruciating pain. Tameem consulted many doctors, only to be told it would be six months before she could receive corrective surgery.
Sitting at the side of his suffering wife, frustrated and feeling utterly helpless, he prayed. "God -- whoever You are -- reveal yourself to me. Help my wife."
Before he had finished praying those words, Tameem heard an inward voice: "Draw the sign of the cross on your wife's back and say, 'In the name of Jesus, be healed.'" He obeyed, doing exactly what the voice instructed. Instantly, she was healed. Free from pain, she arose and made him dinner!
Now utterly astonished, Tameem began his quest in earnest. Who WAS this Jesus? Again, he found few answers in his closed country. A few months passed...
Tameem and his wife were cleaning house together when they opened a storage drawer below their sofa. Inside they found a cache of items neither he nor his wife remember receiving, much less placing in the drawer: A New Testament, Josh McDowell's book More Than A Carpenter, and a DVD of "JESUS."
Tameem began reading the New Testament with great interest. He and his wife watched the "JESUS" DVD 10 times! At last, he had found the truth, God, and peace. Both became followers of Jesus. They also showed the DVD to may of their neighbors, telling them about the sign of the cross, all that Jesus had done for them, and how He had given them peace... in a closed country. May God receive the glory.
-----------------
This is not an isolated occurance; God is constantly revealing Himself to people around the world. Why? Because they are searching for Him. The Bible says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) Proverbs 2:4 says that we are to seek for God as for silver. People are searching for God; there is a void in their souls that they try to fill up with so many other things - they don't realize what it is they're missing. But when they are persistent, they find God. In Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus told a parable that is so applicable: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." What Jesus was trying to get across is that this man searched until he found, doing all that was necessary to find that pearl. He didn't give up; he kept searching. And when he found it, he gave up all for it. Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find." Seeking is not just peeking in the dark closet and saying, "Nope, I don't see Him"; it's flipping on the lightswitch and searching every nook and cranny till you can say, "I found You." God is not hiding from you, but you have to do your part to draw close to Him - look for Him. When God sees that you are trying to get closer to Him, He can't help but draw closer to you -- He sees that this one's heart is right, they are are truly searching. The interesting thing about God is that, often, people have been raised in societies that teach nothing about God; so when they start to search for Him, they don't know what to look for. But God is so faithful; He always reveals Himself to those who are truly seeking Him, as He did for the Arab man in the story. James summed it up best when he said: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)
Leave your Inspiring Story here (ends October 3rd):
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links...
The next link party will be held on October 17-19; I hope to see you there!
Hi Miss S, what an inspiring story!! thanks for sharing with us...:)
ReplyDeleteLove,
Ruth
It never ceases to amaze me how God reaches down to touch ordinary people. To God be the glory, great things He has done!
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