Sunset or Snake? How would you prefer God speak to you?

If we relied solely on internet memes to teach us about God, we would probably conclude that God only speaks through rainbows and sunsets. Yet, when God calls Moses, a story we read about in Exodus 4, he uses fire, a snake, leprosy and blood. I haven’t seen many memes featuring those!

I wonder if our God is much more fearsome than we think. Moses certainly seems to be terrified by his encounter with God, and rather than being delighted to have been chosen, he begs God to send someone else. My guess is that we are all much more reluctant to serve God than we realise, just like Moses.

There are some people, though, who are willing to step into dangerous situations when God calls them. One of those is Joseph, whom I wrote about in ‘Our Sisters’. He bravely rescues Christian families from slave masters in the heart of Pakistan and takes armed guards with him for protection so that he and the families he liberates are kept safe.

Honestly, before writing Our Sisters, I would have baulked at the idea of Christians taking guns with them and confronting powerful cabals. However, while writing Our Sisters, God spoke to me about this in an utterly miraculous way that still makes me tremble when I think about it. God used a deluge of details in a Bible story that matched events in Pakistan to speak to me. I can’t do justice to all the intricacies here, but you can read what happened on pages 169 to 175 of the book.

Joseph’s work is now the subject of a feature-length film, No One Left Behind, available for free on YouTube. It is an incredible watch, and I’d love for you to view it, not just to see what Joseph does, but because I have been blessed to meet many of the people in it, including his sister, Shagufta, and her family, above. Shagufta was held on death row for seven years after being falsely accused of blasphemy. I encourage you to watch the film all the way to the end, as the credits reveal just how influential Joseph’s backers are!

In a slightly similar vein, Off Grid Christianity recorded a second and special podcast episode with me about slavery, which was published on Friday. It is being released to coincide with the World Cup, as many people are trafficked for labour and sexual exploitation during major sporting events. I hope my words inspire you to pray for these situations.

Joseph has very kindly invited me to speak at the European Parliament in July at an event his organisation is arranging. I will have around 7 minutes to raise issues connected with the abduction and forced marriage of Christian girls in Pakistan, with a particular focus on the case of Maria Shahbaz. With such a tight time limit, I want to make every word count. Please pray for me this week, as I prepare my speech; I’m hoping to be punchy!

I can now reveal the cover of my forthcoming children’s book and let you know that it went to print yesterday!

Finally, if you’re going to New Wine and would like to meet up, please let me know. I’d love to catch up with as many of you as possible while there. Email me at dislocatedchristians@gmail.com

Since Christ has set us free, we are free indeed. May that freedom flow out to others,

anna

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