Sometimes it’s hard to see God’s plan.
Young Mary never imagined she would be pregnant before she was married. Certainly as her labor pains began, neither she nor Joseph planned on Mary having to give birth to the Savior of the Nations in a lowly stable.
God’s plans are often not our own.
Like Mary and Joseph, 32-year-old “David”* is learning how to fully rely on God. Until last year, David lived in Iran where he made a good living as a flight attendant. Like 99.4 percent of Iranians, David identified as a Muslim.Until he found a Bible.
“It was so good!” David exclaimed. “I could feel the difference between Muslims and Christians in the Bible. The Quran always talked about killing; Jesus never talked about killing. He said to turn the other cheek.”
As David’s faith grew, he found other Christians hiding in Iran. But fearing for their lives, they had to study Scripture in secret.
“In Iran, if they find out you are a Christian, you will die,” he stated bluntly. “In the Quran, if you are Muslim and convert to anything else, you have to die. They would also cause problems for your family.”
Not long after David’s conversion, a friend at the airline where he worked gave him a warning. “Be careful,” he said. “You are in danger.”
Heeding his friend’s words, David decided to take a drastic step: he would join the thousands of other refugees seeking a new life in the West. As a college graduate with a degree in English, he hoped to make it to Great Britain, the United States or Canada.
Those plans didn’t materialize.
David wasn’t able to make it to any of those countries. Instead he ended up in Leipzig, Germany, where he has lived for the past year, sharing a small room with two other men in government refugee housing. He’s having trouble passing the test to show his mastery of the German language, which is required in order to get a job.
“Everything is just….hard,” David sighed heavily, tears beginning to build. “I miss my family. I have no job. I wonder, what will happen to me?”
But God does not abandon His children!
Just as God loved and protected Mary and Joseph, He is taking care of David.
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