My book list will be ready in a month and a half,
but here’s one that can’t wait: A Wind in
the House of Islam by David Garrison.
If you’re not concerned about what’s happening in
Syria and Iraq right now—not to mention schoolgirls being kidnapped in Nigeria—don’t
bother with this book. But if you think of it, well, dozens of times each day,
if you’re wondering what in the world is going on and where God is in all of
this, then this is the book for you.
Evil appears to be running amok. I want all the news I can get, and yet I can barely
watch. A worldwide showdown between Christianity and Islam seems inevitable.
God-loving, God-fearing people talk seriously about just nuking the world’s
Muslims and calling it a day.
Where is the hope in this situation? Where is God?
He’s on the move. And, oh, did I need to hear about
it. I need to know that unprecedented numbers of Muslims are coming to faith in
Jesus. I need to know that He uses jaw-dropping miracles and amazing visions to
reach them, but the most common way is the tried-and-true way: one person
living out a changed life in front of others. I need to know because this helps
me sleep at night. The world is not spinning out of control. The King is still
on the throne, He’s aware, He’s involved, and our struggles are not against
flesh and blood, but the evil spiritual forces in this world that He is more
than capable of fending off.
Garrison’s book is a mix of history, sociology, and
scientific method. So tedious are the details of the methodology that it’s
almost sterile at times. But when you actually picture the methodology and what
it took to make it happen, the yawns turn into goose bumps. In hidden rooms
throughout nine regions of the world, Christian interviewers met with Muslims. The
rooms were hidden because these weren’t just any Muslims. They are
Christ-following Muslims. (And don’t even think of calling them Christians.) They
shared the stories of their conversions, the suffering they experienced as a
result, and their views on Jesus and Muhammad. Some traveled a hundred miles
and risked their lives to tell their stories. One woman hasn’t been seen or
heard from since. Interviewers, translators, and the storytellers themselves
put everything on the line to tell us how God is drawing Muslims to Himself.
There will be Christians who aren’t comfortable calling
these people brothers and sisters. They’re not exactly like us. They call God Allah. Many still attend mosque and read
the Quran, at least for a while. They don’t even like the word Christianity. But Jesus? They love Him.
In Him they’ve found the answers their own religion lacked. They’ve found grace
they’ve never known. They’ve found a savior who guarantees their way to heaven.
In all the ways that matter, they are very much like us. Heaven is going to be
filled with them, and I can’t wait to meet them. Until then, I will make myself
keep watching the news, which keeps me praying.
“The
Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead
he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.” –2 Peter 3:9
