Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GRATE (11/19/15)
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By Gary Ritter
11/21/15 -
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At the mosque later that day, he tried to pray. Allah was so distant, what was the use? There was a time he’d done everything commanded by his parents to honor their god. He’d memorized the Qur’an as a child, prayed faithfully to Mecca five times each day, beseeched the dead prophets for mercy. Now the mosque was his only lifeline, a tenuous one at that. He wiped sweat from his forehead, his hand trembling. Nerves. He shook all the time. When would it end? Lately the imam had preached the virtues of jihad, killing infidels to attain glory and the rewards of paradise. He had nothing else to live for; perhaps that was the way.
An acquaintance, Abdul, approached him. Mehdi turned his head. The presence of this man grated on him. He kept talking about Jesus. Mehdi knew about Jesus. The Qur’an spoke of Him many times. He was a holy man who would return to help the Twelfth Imam convert the world to Islam at the end of times.
“Come with me tonight, Mehdi. We’ll watch a movie about Jesus.”
Every time Abdul spoke of Jesus it felt like the sharp teeth of a file passing over his brain: rasping, irritating, hurting. To make the man go away, Mehdi said, “Fine, I’ll meet you.”
Mehdi considered not showing up, but came anyway. It surprised him that women were among those gathered. Abdul opened the group in prayer, finishing with: “…in Jesus’ Name.” The grating on his nerves continued at that affront, but he held his tongue and his seat.
The film portrayed Jesus in an entirely different way than Mehdi expected. When He was crucified, Mehdi cried and despaired. When Jesus rose from the dead he cheered along with everyone else in the room. The film showed Jesus as God who loved the world and died for its sins. He left profoundly disturbed, before Abdul could speak to him further.
That night he dreamed. Who should be in his dream but Abdul speaking about Jesus! Mehdi turned away in disgust and saw a figure bathed in unspeakable brilliance reaching out His hands toward him. He approached and fell at the man’s feet. He knew without doubt His identity. Jesus took his hands and said, “As long as you hold to Me, I will keep you.”
When Mehdi awoke calm pervaded him. His stomach no longer churned. His hands remained steady. Light entered his mind.
Without another thought he ran to Abdul’s apartment. “What should I do?”
“Repent. Trust in Jesus.” For some reason Abdul’s voice no longer grated on him. It brought him peace.
Not long after, Mehdi was forced to move away. He tried to find a church in which to worship his new Savior. In one with stained glass and beautiful furnishings, he spoke to the priest of his experience. The man of God said, “I’ve been ministering for thirty years and never had a dream like that. That’s foolish; it can’t be real.” Mehdi never returned.
Continuing his search he found a church graced with highly glossed pews, Bibles and hymnals in every seat back. “Surely God lives here,” Mehdi thought. Yet he soon perceived the truth. No Spirit of God animated the place; they had the Word in their midst but death stalked the living.
A Jehovah’s Witness found him one day. After much discussion Mehdi came away confused. They didn’t believe Jesus was God.
He had another dream. Jesus said, “Believe what Abdul says.”
Before the sun came up the phone rang and the sweetest voice he’d ever heard said, “I found you.” Mehdi had never gotten Abdul’s number, but his friend had tracked him down.
He explained his quandary.
Abdul said, “The Spirit must be present to glorify God. Find Him and you’ll find Jesus.”
The next Sunday he did.
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God bless~
I hope the judges take note!
Good luck. God Bless!