Why would any citizen of any country cheer when their country is being bombed? Because the end
result of Islam will always be fear, control and emptiness. Hezbollah and Hamas will never be able to
provide peace for their people. ISIS, Al-Queda, the Taliban and Boko Haram will always be morally
bankrupt. It is nothing for these groups to wipe out villages by raping the women, killing the men and
conscripting the boys into their armies. The people of Iran are sick of the plans and purposes of this
militant version of Islam. They are ready for something new; something more.

I received a text this morning referring to a 16-year study done by Fuller Theological Seminary in which
they studied Muslims who convert to Christianity. They found that 27% of Muslims who convert have
dreams or visions of Jesus before believing. And in places like Iran, where the night is the darkest, the
numbers are more like 40%! I’ve read hundreds of stories of these dreams and their results. I have
friends who’ve visited with Muslims and even been a part of their dreams. The dreams or visions nearly
always include a “man in white” inviting them to obtain and read a Bible, go see a believer or go to a
church. These visions often come in moments of great distress: the sickness of a family member,
disillusionment with Islam or its ruling counterparts, or trouble in their marriage. They also happen in
lighter moments such as after they meet a believer, hear a Christian radio or TV broadcast, or read
something about Christianity on the internet. To say that God is moving in the Middle East is a huge
understatement!

I love this for multiple reasons. For us to witness one of the mass movements of God’s Spirit is
incredible. What is happening in many Middle Eastern countries right now is no less profound than what
happened with the Apostles in the book of Acts. Christians in the US and around the world should be
praying for our future brothers and sisters in some of the darkest corners of our globe. What’s more, as
we are given the opportunity, Christians should be lining up to visit these countries and, as God allows,
move there. I pray, following this Iranian war, that country will be open to foreign aid and conversation.
I pray we will have an opportunity to go! Will you pray and consider going with us?

I love the fact that Muslims are coming to Christ en masse for more than historical reasons. Yes, it’s
exciting to watch and even participate in these events. It is equally exciting to witness the reverb effect
in countries like ours who have roughly 5 million Muslims counted among our population. New York City
and Detroit have the highest numbers, but many of our cities count Muslims as a significant number in
their census. I pray this war and the Iranian civilian response helps to debunk some of the fear of the
rest of the world that surrounds Islam. I understand we have been recipients of terrorist attacks, just like
many other nations, but what we are learning is that the terror factor is a very small portion of the much
larger Muslim culture. And, again, as we are seeing in Iran, many Muslims are ready to shake off the
empty claims of Islam for the hope and peace found in Christ.

I love this because I love Heaven. And, friends, Heaven is most definitely going to be populated by
people from every tribe, tongue and nation. This means there will be people that we stand side by side
with, who converted from every religion under the sun, and we will all be worshipping Jesus together.

Please pray for more dreams and visions amongst our Middle Eastern friends. Please pray the
stronghold of Islam continues to crack and tumble. Pray for the countless villages who have been
recipients of terrorist attacks and for the miracle of Rwanda to be repeated over and over throughout
the world. (After the Rwandan genocide, members of both sides reconciled and continue to live and
work together to this day.) Pray for current believers to have sensitive hearts. Pray they/we will be open
to loving our seeking Muslim friends.

While I am not at all excited about the results of bombs being dropped, I am excited about the doors
that will open afterward. Will you join me in praying and going?