The young man attended a boarding school where a Westerner taught English. The Westerner was there to do more than simply teach his language. Everyone knew he was a Christian.
One evening, he showed the Jesus Film in the village. The young man watched it, but he wasn’t feeling anything special about what he saw until later that night when Jesus visited him.
It was a dream that changed his eternal destination.
Laylat al-Qadr is the night when Muslims believe an angel began to reveal the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad. It occurs during the last 10 days of Ramadan on an odd-numbered night, often the 27th night. “It is said that god did not reveal the exact date, so that his servants would perform extra acts of worship throughout the 10 days and so gain reward from them,” according to 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.
Laylat al-Qadr is translated a number of ways, including Night of Power, Night of Destiny, Night of Decree, Night of Value, and Night of Measures.
Some Muslims believe that on Laylat al-Qadr events of the next year will be revealed, prayers are more powerful, sins are forgiven, and Allah’s blessings are more abundant. “It is a night to expect a special closeness to god,” 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World told us, “and there are many reports of Muslims having dreams or visions of Jesus on this night.”
Dreams and visions form one of the three major components in a Muslim background believer’s (MBB’s) journey to faith in Jesus, according to Nik Ripken’s The Insanity of Obedience.
“It was very common for them to hear a voice without a body speaking to them,” he wrote. “It was very common for them to see a bright light, dream about the Bible, or hear the voice of the angel Gabriel. It was not uncommon for them to dream of Jesus. These dreams and visions were sign-posts and attention-getters.
“Dreams and visions are not salvific. The dreams allow God to get the recipient’s attention and lead seekers to Jesus. Only Jesus has the power to change souls.”
In the days ahead we’re going to focus on and pray for those in the Climbing For Christ world who do not yet know Jesus as LORD.
We want to spend some additional time in prayer today and tomorrow (the 27th night) for our Muslim friends, specifically, and for followers of Islam, in general. May the God of the Bible visit them in their dreams and give them visions of His Son, Jesus, the only One who can save them. May the Holy Spirit start them on a spiritual journey toward the real paradise.
This is often a pilgrimage, not necessarily an overnight conversion.
Ripken, in interviews with hundreds of MBBs, claimed “most MBBs report at least 20 to 30 different spiritual encounters prior to their decision to follow Jesus.” This takes, on average, three to five years. “But, in almost every case, dreams and visions both fueled and informed their search,” Ripken wrote.
God will also use Christian radio, the Jesus Film, meetings with missionaries, and other encounters. Muslims will turn to leaders in their mosque, who will “typically affirm that the dreams and visions are from God, and they will often tell the seeker that the instructions in the dreams and visions should be followed,” according to Ripken. This may lead to a more devout prayer life and time of study.
An MBB who initially became a more conservative practitioner of Islam as the Holy Spirit worked in her heart. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
One Moroccan brother told us how his daughter fought the presence of Jesus in her life and the lives of her family by becoming more conservative as a Muslim woman. But eventually the Truth set her free. This was assisted by visits from Western workers, who could answer questions that could not be answered at the mosque.
Pray that we, as a ministry, would be prepared to walk with those asking questions. 