Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. (1 Pe 3:15 NKJV)
It was a random afternoon at Panera, I was reading. The story began with him, a friendly, Muslim uncle from north Africa, asking about the book I was reading…
We ended up talking about who Jesus is for almost an hour. We challenged and disagreed with each other, but actually enjoyed the open conversation and had good time. At the end I gave him my IFI business card and told him how we serve international students; he gave me his email and invited me to his mosque. And finally we continued to work and read our stuff.
Sometimes we look for chances to talk to someone about Jesus; sometimes opportunities just come out of the blue. Sometimes we witness that God is using the conversation to touch the person; sometimes we are not sure whether the conversation is going anywhere. But in any case, I believe that all such exchanges are spiritually meaningful in His kingdom—when we talk about God, people get to think about Him (no matter whether s/he agrees with what’s said or not), and God is pleased. By talking about Him, being challenged by questions and disagreements, we also think deeper and more thoroughly about what we hold on to. We are motivated to learn and know more about Him. And the more we know about Him, the more we love Him and realize how much He loves us. So, isn’t it really God’s mercy and grace whenever we have a chance to talk to someone about Him. It’s not only a privilege to co-work with Him in the person’s life, but more often, an intimate moment for ourselves to experience Him.
I don’t know if I’ll ever see this uncle again, and I’m not sure what our discussion meant to him, but I know I’m reminded to always be ready, for people may ask about the reason for the hope that’s in us. Indeed we can do nothing without Him, and we’re in need of God’s wisdom for every moment. Lord, help us daily to walk with You and abide in You.