Recently, I have been struggling with this question: “Is my ministry enough or does God want even more from me?”  I am sure this is a universal question that believers ask themselves because our ultimate hope is that our lives are a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord.  Here is specifically what I’m stressed about:  God has birthed in me a deep burden and passion to see His name proclaimed among the women of the Muslim world.  This is not something I stumbled into of my own power or interest, but the one way to explain it is simply that GOD DID THIS WORK IN ME!  Two years ago, I was intimidated by, uneducated about, and even spiritually complacent in regards to the Muslim population of the world.  I knew little about them and certainly had no personal relationships with any of them.  BUT GOD began a work in me to change my hard heart and create in me a compassion, a love, and a concern for Muslim women.  I desperately want them to know Jesus as their Savior, not just a prophet. 

I believe this particular heart and desire within me is pleasing to the Lord.  But the catch is, lately, I have been confronted with the many, many, many Scriptures in the Bible that talk about ministry to the poor.  And although there are poor Muslim women in the world, my ministry to and passion for outreach to Muslims is based on their estrangement from Jesus, not on their poverty.  So, the question arose in my mind… should God’s love for the poor trump the heart He’s given me for Muslim ministry?  I wrestled with this question, thinking to myself, “Do I have the time and energy to devote my life to both?”  I wondered: is this single focus sufficiently reconciled with His Scriptures?  I am terrified of getting the answer wrong… What if God truly wants both from me?  I am still praying for discernment and clarity on this… it is not an issue I am taking lightly.  I have been reverently, fearfully talking to God about this over and over.  And I believe He will one day reveal a definitive answer for me. 

Last week, I was praying about this matter once again when He brought Abrar* to mind.  I met Abrar in 2007 and had the chance to spend more time with her again this past spring.  She is an Arab woman in her late fifties who lives and serves the Lord in her home country in North Africa.  I first knew Abrar as an inspiring evangelist to the Muslim population.  She has a weekly television program that is designed to reach the Arabic speaking Muslim population throughout the world to tell them about Christ.  She has told Jesus’ story to hundreds of thousands of Muslims through this venue and I am in awe of the reach that God has given her.  But during my visit with her this spring, I learned she does far more for the Kingdom than make a TV show.  

    

   

  

 

 

Here is a snapshot of a regular week for her: 

 

 

 

·         MONDAYS she travels to a slum area in her city where she ministers to poor women.  In 2000, she began meeting with just a small group of 10 women.  Now each week 150 women come to learn about simple life skills like hygiene and they also learn spiritual things about the Bible and the Good News.  In this area the homes have no facilities or running water, even the streets are filthy and the city does not service them, the people are poor and unemployed and the city government does nothing to better their situation.  Domestic abuse and marital conflict are prevalent, recurring themes in her counseling to the women there.

·        TUESDAYS she travels to a different slum area in another part of the city where she teaches a women’s Bible study to 100 women each week, after which she does home visits.  She sits in these ladies rat-infested homes with garbage all around, and listens to their stories, praying with them and counseling them and tending to their very real, physical needs.  She describes the poverty of this area as devastating and incredible, even more so than her Monday neighborhood.

·         WEDNESDAYS she spends time preparing for and recording her satellite television program called “God Loves All People.”  The show is aired in 77 countries worldwide and the premise is a weekly interview with a different Arab Muslim Background Believer… they share their testimony, talk about the Bible, and pray together.  Because in her country, as well as many other Arab nations, it is illegal to speak to a Muslim about Christ, she has found that satellite ministry opens the door for evangelism and sharing Christ with others.  She says that every day, those who work in satellite ministry hear stories of many Muslims coming to saving faith in Jesus. 

·         THURSDAYS Abrar meets with two groups of “rich” women in her city (her words, not mine) and together they pray for the women she ministers to (through Abrar’s poverty and satellite ministries) and try to collaborate on ways they can tangibly meet the ongoing physical needs of the women she serves in the poor areas.  Abrar says that these women, although not living in poverty, need Jesus just as much as the poor women in her life do.   

·         FRIDAYS and SATURDAYS she spends time serving alongside her husband, who works in drama ministry.  They organize plays throughout their city hoping to tell the stories from the Bible through drama.  It is a tool for outreach into the Muslim population.  His ministry also writes and produces movies and short films about spiritual topics geared towards the Arab population.

·         Finally, SUNDAYS she attends church and worships the Lord with her husband.  This is her day of rest.

Needless to say, as I contemplated the diversity of her service to the Lord, I felt schooled.  This woman—who I once was inspired by simply for her outreach to Muslims—is far more complex and far more dedicated to serving the Lord than just one area of ministry allows.  As I prayed about her life, I landed on the simple fact that I want to be more like her as I grow up.  She has a huge heart for Muslims, she is burdened deeply with the desire to share Christ with those who do not know Him as Savior, she loves the poor in her own city (and she spends time with them seeking to help with their physical and spiritual needs), she loves her husband and serves alongside him in his ministry, and she also ministers to the “regular rich folk” that run in her upper class circle.  All of that, plus she still manages a day of rest and worship.  Can you believe it?!  Now that is a life worth modeling. 

Lord, would you one day use me the way you use Abrar?  She is one faithful woman.  Although she is a great warrior for the Lord, You remind me that there is nothing more special about Abrar than the next woman.  You have chosen to multiply her influence, bless her ministry with fruit, and continue to break her heart for what breaks Your’s.  She is beautiful because she is madly, passionately in love with You and she desires to live her life as a sacrifice to You!  Abrar’s life is a testimony of Your power at work in a faithful child of God.

*Abrar’s name has changed to protect her identity.  I chose the feminine Arabic name “Abrar” to represent her because it means “devoted to God.”