Jesus said

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

John 15:9

That’s HUGE!

Well, I’ve been here in Doha almost eight months, and I really haven’t felt much culture shock until today.  Today was the start of Ramadan, which I mentioned in my last post.  I guess I just never thought about what life in a Muslim culture is like during the month of Ramadan, where the majority of the population is fasting and even the laws regulate society to adhere to the fasting culture.

The question that has really thrown me off has been, “Are you fasting?”  That’s really been the question of the day, especially toward a Westerner in this Muslim culture.  This is completely new to me, because it is the opposite of the mentality about fasting that I have developed as a Christian.  I have grown up in a society that, for one doesn’t really fast very much.  Besides that, the people that did fast would do so according to the instructions of Jesus:

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:17-18

For the most part, fasting has always been a very personal practice to observe when trying to know God more, receive specific direction for my life, to get through some hardship, etc.  There were a few times when I was part of a group fast, but even then, we didn’t really broadcast it to the world. I’ve even fasted for Ramadan with Muslim friends in the US before, but it still wasn’t really public knowledge.  I went on with life as usual and didn’t really talk about it except with a few people.

Coming from that culture to one where the store hours change to accommodate the fast, many people work modified hours, and the question of the day seems to be, “Are you fasting?” has just been really weird for me.

That’s what I love about different cultures, though.  This is a really great experience for me.

It’s looking like this will be a theme in my life and blog posts for a while.  I’m in a real season of refreshment, and it’s amazing.  I can already see, too, that this refreshment is just the beginning.  The things God is reminding me of right now are things that He wants for everyone.  I hope you are encouraged by this.

People that know me pretty well know that I am an emotional and sensitive guy, and that has been compounded over the last couple of weeks as God’s been reminding me in very real ways how important I am to Him.  It’s a wonderful time.  I’m filled with so much joy, and often tears, as I go through the day and God brings to my mind truths that I’ve known for so long.  During this time, though, He’s reminding me of these truths and pressing them past my mind and deep into my heart.

My favorite verse for a long time has been John 17:3.  This is when Jesus is praying, and He says:

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

God did not save me out of my sin to just change my destination when I die.  I’m not meant to just do all of these religious duties throughout life in hopes that one day I will escape a fiery judgment and have eternal pleasure in Heaven.

No!  That’s falling way too short of the goodness of God.  True eternal life is something that I have now!  It is the ability to personally know the one true God.  I don’t even understand this.  How is this possible?  He’s so far above and beyond me, that there’s no logical way that I can even approach me.  I mean, who am I out of the more than 6 billion people on this planet?

But it’s true.  It’s all over the Bible.  God is crazy about me!

As I mentioned in my last post, music has played a huge role in this, too.  The lyrics that have really kept pushing this revelation along have been from “Scenes” by Charlie Hall:

I see You in every scene
I bet You are thinking of me
I have such a short memory
Still You keep reminding me of You

That is pretty much the theme of my life right now.  God is constantly reminding me that He is thinking about me.  That sounds so simple, right?  I mean, big deal.  Someone’s thinking about me.  But when it’s the God of the universe, it is a big deal!

I’m being reminded of and being shown lots of new verses about this.  Here’s just a sample:

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:17-18

The great part about all of this is that it is not just for me.  I knew many people back in the US that were just worn out from life and felt like God was so distant from them.  I know I’ve felt like that countless times.  What amazing hope it gives me to know that He is always thinking about me.  Even when I feel rejected, alone, and forgotten, God is thinking of me.

Wow, let that sink in.  I think we could all use a reminder of this 🙂

There’s so much more that I’m processing right now.  Surely more to come…

I think this is the first serious post I’ve written in a long time.  This is some good stuff, though.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie, Luther, but it is a great one.  One scene in particular jumps out at me every time I watch it, and I always tear up.  In this scene, Luther is hating himself and is talking to his superior about the issue.  His superior asks, “Martin, what is it you seek?”  The response of Luther stirs my heart:

A merciful God;
A God whom I can love
A God who loves me

Whether I think about it or not, this is a deep desire of mine.  I want someone to love, and I want someone to love me.  As I’m approaching the age of 28 and living the single life in a foreign country, I’m in a prime place for God to fulfill this role.  I’ve had ups and downs while I’ve been here, but God continues to amaze me.  The most recent display of His love for me is just too great for me to hold back.

Work has been really busy and kinda stressful, so my life has been pretty consumed with that.  Ramadan is starting next week, and there will be a holiday, Eid al-Fitr, at the end where many people take a short vacation.  I wanted to go somewhere, but I Just didn’t know where or with whom.  I was really thinking that the Eid would just come and go, and “maybe next year.” Then I made some new friends.

There are a few grad students from the US that are here for a semester that I met last week.  I hung out with them this weekend, and we all really hit it off.  They told me about this trip they’re taking over Eid, and they invited me to go.  To Jordan and Israel!  What an opportunity; one that I’ve been wanting to take for a long time.

So that’s pretty cool, right?  Well, it gets better!  I got the itinerary for the trip, and I decided to see what we have planned for my birthday, which is during this trip.  Get this.  My birthday will include watching a sunrise from Mount Nebo, visiting the baptism site of Jesus, and having dinner while watching a beautiful sunset over the Dead Sea.

I thought about how I like to feel special on my birthday, then I got an overwhelming sensation of God’s presence.  This is God making me feel special on my birthday.  The creator of the universe put together all of these events for me to have this amazing experience on my birthday.  I get chills when I think about it.

Of course, the rest of the trip will be a great time, too.  It’ll be a wonderful experience to see all of that history, and I’ll be enjoying it all with my new friends.

I have so much that God’s doing in my heart right now, but it mainly comes down to Him reminding me in many different ways that He loves me.  What better place is there to be?