“If you are arrested, praise God that you have not been beaten. If you have been beaten, praise God that you have not been killed. And if you have been killed, praise God that you are now with Jesus in heaven!”
– Uzbek saying as printed in day 10 of:
The 2016 “30 days of prayer for the Muslim world”.
Today it is day 11 of Ramadan and just like last year, the first year that I personally participated in the 30 days of prayer for the Muslim world during Ramadan, it has been a blessing to read the stories and pray along during this important time on the Islamic calendar. But it has also been challenging. Examples like the statement above from Uzbeki believers help me to remember that following God isn’t always as ‘easy’ for others, as it is in our own lives. And though of course we encounter opposition in our own way, it seems like we sometimes get more easily discouraged than those who risk their lives for Jesus on a daily basis, simply by following Him.
For example: Our family just recently moved to Utah and through that process I have been challenged with this myself. We don’t face death or persecution in any way like the Uzbeks do, and yet it can seem so easy to stop praising God for what He is doing and so easy to start questioning Him and to get discouraged for that which is not yet happening instead.
I too need to remember that, no matter what is happening, our Lord is still worthy of praise and we can still praise Him. And sometimes it is in praising Him that most of our mountains get moved.
So pray for us, and praise with us, as we do ask God to move the mountains that we ourselves can’t move. We are just a small team and we don’t have what it takes to pull off the vision God has for this place – but pray that He will do it none the less. Pray for favor, pray for guidance, pray for direction and pray for courage. But above all, pray that no matter what will happen, that we will continue to praise Him.
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