Instead of Uncertainty, Security

During the month of June, I will be writing a series of devotionals based on my upcoming book, Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, published by Harvest House Publishers August 2019.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-28).

Eager to hear the wise counsel of her favorite professor, Areefa rushed to his office full of anticipation. If she was honest, she was more than eager. She was desperate. The more she probed the Qur’an and Hadith, the more she uncovered evidence that seemed to support a clear suppression of women’s sexuality and value in Islam.

Her dissertation was due in six weeks, and its purpose was to disprove negative preconceptions in Muslim thought about female sexuality using core texts from the Qur’an and Hadith. She had struggled with the incongruity her entire life, and a scholarship to a prestigious university gave her the opportunity to examine the issue for herself once and for all. 

After hours of sleepless nights in the library bent over her laptop, Areefa had worked herself into a corner with no place to go: the proof she was searching for seemed to confirm her fears, not ease them. It appeared Islam was no refuge for women. She hoped her professor would offer an explanation and help her navigate the hard texts she set before him.

Handing him her carefully compiled notes with a nervous smile, she took a seat in a deep leather chair. After an excruciating pause, he gave her a long, hard look. “This topic is unacceptable,” he said seriously. “You are casting doubt upon our holy sources. You must choose a different topic for your dissertation.” With that, he stood, dismissing her.

Areefa was frozen in place. “But sir, as a woman I can bring a new perspective to this issue. Surely…”

“You have until Friday to give me your new topic,” he interrupted tersely. “If you choose not to, you may return home for a few weeks and reconsider how important your degree is to you.”

He opened the door to his office, gesturing for her to leave. Numbly, she stood and walked slowly out of the room and into the next chapter of her search for the truth about God.

Areefa had grown up looking to her parents and the people around her to learn what was true about God. As a bright student enrolled in one of the best universities in the world, she had hoped to probe the sources of truth in Islam themselves to discover the truth about God and her own identity as a woman. But on that fateful day in her professor’s office, her quest was met with a dead end. She was never allowed to return to that university.

Regardless, she could not abandon her pursuit of truth and its impact on women. Her brave search led her eventually to the Bible. As she examined the life of Jesus, Areefa was shocked to learn He showed compassion and love for women, even for prostitutes. And God called her his child! For the first time in her life, Areefa felt loved by God instead of condemned.

Quietly one day she gave her life to Christ and became His follower. Areefa could finally rest in the knowledge she was secure. Peace flooded her heart for the first time in her life. She no longer had to live her life believing she was a lesser human being, doubtful about her worth to God.

Through the Messiah Jesus, God offers #security to men and women, guaranteed. #salvation Click To Tweet

The guarantee was secured by the blood of Jesus as he died on the cross, abolishing the shame and sin of humanity. Areefa knew God’s voice when she heard it, and she became his follower. Nothing can snatch her out of his hand.

We do not have to grow up in a culture like Areefa’s to doubt our value to God. Areefa’s struggle is universal.

We wonder if we matter to God. We look to those around us to learn what is true about Him, and what is true about us. Sometimes our belief system about who He is and who we are is based on lies.

Like Areefa, we can go to the Bible to search for the crucial answers to who God is and who we are. The Bible is God’s story of love and redemption for humanity, and in it we will discover the truth of His character and our value to him.

Those who hunger for truth will find it. 

Lord, show me who you are and who I am. I want to know what is true. Amen.

To read more about Areefa’s story, see Chapter 14 in Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, available for pre-order here.