How many times have you been in a conversation with an unbeliever and you really want to turn them to God without making it awkward? In western society, talking about God and religion is almost taboo, but in Chad, God is a part of everyday conversations. (“How is your family?” “Praise God, we are all fine.”; “How are you today?” “Walking towards God.”) How is it that I still have a difficult time turning the conversation to Scripture?
The questions I am asked from women include topics such as children, marriage, health, food, and life in America. Oftentimes, we compare and contrast our culture with each other and they ask me what I think about how they do things. (“What do you think about the husbands leaving for months or years at a time?” “Do you think it is good for a man to have four wives?”) This gives me a chance to expose them to truths about God (He cares for them and knows everything about them; God created one man and one woman in the garden, not 4 wives for Adam; God wants to change our hearts, not just our outward behavior). However, oftentimes I get little response, or at most, the women agree but don’t ask for more information. My friends are so distracted by just surviving each day, it is often hard for them to think on a deeper, spiritual level (much like us many times?!).
I need wisdom to know how to insert truths and stories from Scripture into conversations with my friends and neighbors in a way that resonates with them. (What if I shared the prophecies of Hosea and the picture of Israel as an adulterous wife and God as the faithful husband who continually pursues her? Would that help them to understand the extent of God’s forgiving, merciful heart in a way they have never been taught in Islam?) I want to understand their struggles with sin and be so filled with God’s word that I can immediately connect them with Scripture that will penetrate their heart and be the beginning of real change in their lives. Pray with me as I search and study Scripture to find passages and stories that will speak to the women I am building relationships with.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of heart.” Hebrews 4:12