Dreams Come True – a Story of Central Asia
Central Asia: hard ground for the gospel? Not when God shows up!
The historic Silk Roads, crossing Asia and beyond, are rich in stories of adventure. The routes pass through places that are considered to be among the great wonders of the world. You might say they are “the kind of places that dreams are made of!”
When we hear of Central Asia, we think of beautiful ancient buildings tiled in blue, or fountains, parks, hot summers, and icy winters. But from 1920 until late into the end of the 20th century, Central Asia was a part of the Soviet Union. All of its tribes and nations were under Communism at that time. The practice of religion was not considered acceptable. Those who admitted they believed in God were accused of being rebellious, or even crazy!
History Makes a U-Turn!
When the time of Soviet rule ended, the Central Asian people remembered their history. Most people knew that many years ago their families and customs had been Muslim. They had not been practicing their faith in daily life, but they knew something of their spiritual history.
These people had come from what are sometimes called the Stans: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. All around them were reminders of the old ways of their great grandparents. Many returned to traditional languages, clothing, and customs. Soon, most of those whose grandparents had been Muslim turned to become active followers of Islam.
But some resisted. They remembered their grandparents telling them what it had been like back in those days. They had been weighed down and burdened by many laws and restrictions. Many did not want to return to these.
Meet Joshua!
Joshua* is a young missionary who lives in one of these Central Asian countries. Recently, he was invited to lunch with some fellow missionaries. He was very pleased to go. When he arrived, he was even more excited to see that a number of local men were there too.
Joshua sat with a young man whom he had not met before. They began to talk. After some time, to Joshua’s amazement, he realized the young man was a follower of Jesus!
Joshua was eager to learn how he had come to know the Lord. After all, he was from a very strict Muslim country. Right away Joshua asked him to share his story.
He Reached Down…
The young man told him, “One night I had a dream. I was at the bottom of a pit unable to get out. People stood above me looking down, but no one would help! Suddenly I saw Andrew* appear among the crowd of faces.” The young man then pointed to Andrew, who was sitting across the table.
“He reached down and pulled me out. Then he took me and we walked over to Isa al-Masih” (Jesus the Messiah). He went on, “I had the exact same dream the next night!”
“I knew I had to go talk with Andrew. When I found him and told him my dream, he stood amazed! Andrew told me that a few months earlier he had begun to pray that Allah would speak to me in a dream.”
A dream had come true for both of these men! Andrew had the most joyful privilege of introducing this young man to Jesus.
Joshua marveled at this story. It was a beautiful example of partnering with God through prayer.
Passing on Our Blessings
What about you? Could it be that there is a special vacancy you could fill?
You may have realized that you freely received much from Jesus. If you are in Christ, He has blessed you with salvation and forgiveness of sins. You are also blessed to be in relationship with Him and in fellowship with other believers!
Can you see yourself sharing that free gift with others who have not yet heard the good news of Jesus? Would you be willing to freely give what you have freely received?
Millions of people are like the young man in Joshua’s story. Many of them sincerely want to know God and to have eternal hope. Imagine being used by God to bring that hope. Ask God to give you a dream!
Just about anything of lasting value starts with prayer. Ask the Lord to give you the privilege of sharing the hope that is in you with those who have not heard of Him. Check out our YWAM Frontier Missions Seminars and other training and get started in your journey.
*Not his actual name
No Comments