Redeeming COVID-19: Open Doors

God is masterful at using the worst situations to bring out the best results. Throughout Scripture, there are countless stories of circumstances that people didn’t understand in the moment, and yet led to God’s best for them and for the world. And in the current climate of global crisis, we are already seeing God’s redemption at work. One example of how God is using the Coronavirus for good comes from one of our staff members located in Germany:

This past week I called a refugee friend of mine called Rachel (we will call her that). She is an Arab woman from Iraq, and she and her family have been open to hearing more in the last months. We wanted to start a video series with them in the last weeks because of their openness, but long story short, things fell through.

Anyways, during our phone conversation, Rachel said, "Jo, ummm I had a dream the other night. In the dream, a man came to me and said, ‘Stand up and read the book of Luke.’” She went on to tell me that she got up and read some pages from the book of Luke (they do have a Bible at home), but she said, "Jo, I have so many questions!" She explained this all in very basic German and said she couldn't explain her questions in German. I told her to send me a text or voice message in Arabic, and I would pass it on to a woman I know who can translate for me. I was so excited and just reassured her that God can use dreams and visions to communicate with her and I was simply just happy to hear about this dream and also encouraged her to ask questions. Pray for Rachel and her family throughout this time and many others. I think there will be many neat stories coming out in the next weeks, months, and years from this Coronavirus time.

Because of her fears, Rachel’s heart opened to hearing words of hope. And our staff member JoEllen is in the ideal position to offer this hope. The most profound example of God using the worst situation for the best outcome is the death of His Son Jesus. What was the darkest night in history gave way to the most glorious sunrise. Has God placed someone in your life who needs this message of hope? In this season of darkness, seek to share the hope of His morning with those around you. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5 (ESV)