from May 3, 2015 prayer update

I made a new friend this month. His name is Ghasem. He was born and raised in Iran. I would guess he is a few years older than I am. He moved to the U.S. in the early 70s to attend college and has lived here since. He has been an American citizen for many years now. Let me share the story of how we became friends.

I am a big BBQ lover. There is a new BBQ restaurant that opened near my home 13 months ago. I have been going there for lunch on a regular basis for several months now. I came in for a late lunch recently, so business was slow. I took advantage of that slowness to engage the cashier in conversation. I suspected from his behavior that he was the business owner, so I asked him if he was. He affirmed that this was true. I then asked him several questions about how the business had been going and communicated my appreciation for their food. I could tell from his appearance and his demeanor that he was probably not born in the U.S. He was far more gentle, low key, and gracious than most Americans. So I asked him where he was born. After learning he was from Iran, we talked briefly about Iran. I then sat down to enjoy my lunch.

I was not more than a few bites into my lunch when Ghasem came by the table where I was sitting and wanted to talk further. So we talked for about 15 minutes about Iran and his experience in the U.S. for the past four decades. I told him that I would like to hear more stories from his life in future visits to the restaurant. He gave me his business card, and he returned to work. I was not even half way through my meal when Ghasem returned to my table and wanted to talk more. We talked briefly, then he asked for one of my business cards. He indicated his desire to connect outside of work. He said that he really enjoyed talking with me.

Why did Ghasem respond this way to me? First let me say why he did not. It is not because I am a skillful conversationalist and highly relational. Nor is it because I am a gifted evangelist. Anyone who has known me for a while can easily confirm that these statements are true. So why did he? I can’t say with certainty, but I believe it was for four reasons.
1) I pray for myself in the area of evangelism every day, that God would give me a heart for the lost, especially for those with little or no access to the gospel. Because evangelism does not come naturally for me.
2) I took the initiative to seize a small window of time to interact with Ghasem in the natural flow of life
3) I demonstrated a genuine interest in Ghasem as a person and asked questions about things that were important to him.
4) Even after more than 40 years in the U.S., Ghasem probably has few traditionally American friends. Because few Americans take the initiative to cultivate a relationship with people like Ghasem. Which is very sad.

I have added Ghasem to my list of people (I now have two couples and five individuals on my list) in my spheres of influence that I pray for daily to come to know Christ. I look forward to getting to know him and his family, learning about their worldview and religious heritage, and sharing with him in a very natural way the good news of the gospel.

I love to travel and would love to visit Iran some day. But chances are that will never happen. And the likelihood of me ever living there and serving as a missionary is very close to zero. In fact, only a handful of missionaries do serve in Iran. And those who do must have a legitimate business purpose to be there and keep an extremely low profile. Only 1/5th of 1% of the population know Christ. And yet less than two miles from where I live, God has placed a strategic opportunity with an Iranian (in all likelihood, a nominal Muslim) in my pathway. And he responded strongly and positively to my small actions. He visits Iran regularly and still has family there. What a privilege it would be to see Ghasem come to know Christ, become established in his faith, and then represent Christ to his family and friends back in Iran in a way that I never could.

I would love to hear your stories. What strategic opportunities has God placed in your pathway (where you live, work, and play) to share the hope that lives within you? If you are not aware of any strategic opportunities, begin to regularly ask God to open your eyes to see them. I promise you that they are there.