ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE
Our ship sat docked in Alexandria, Egypt. Since it was her birthday, Linda remained onboard for a day of pool-lounging and self-pampering. Heading ashore, I stepped off the gangplank, instantly barraged by a bevy of cab drivers. Scanning the ocean of taxis, I selected one which appeared to be marginally safe. My driver asked where he could take me. I replied, "Drive me someplace you'd like to go." I should have known better.
As a devout Muslim, he drove me to his mosque. I reluctantly stepped out of the cab, following him up the steps. I silently asked, "Lord, what have I gotten myself into?" Immediately, I was bombarded by zealots who shoved literature in my hand, extolling the virtues of Islam. Then the imam greeted me. Leading me by the arm, he pointed to the carpets on the mosque's floor, and directed, "Pray to Allah." Not wishing to start a holy war, I hesitated. I'm a follower of Jesus, not Mohammed. How could I bow and pray in a mosque?
Then the Holy Spirit reminded me, "You can pray anywhere, anytime, anyplace... to Jesus!" So prostrating my face to the ground, in my heart I prayed to Jesus. I silently declared my faith in Him as the Son of God. I prayed for the welfare of the citizens of Alexandria. I prayed for Jesus to flood that mosque with His love. I prayed for Jesus to free the spiritual captives of Islam.
I arose. Both the imam and driver flashed huge smiles, but neither understood what had just transpired. While it wasn't earth-shaking, I brought Jesus into that mosque. Actually, that’s not true. Jesus was already there, waiting for me to join Him. And I partnered with Jesus through my prayers. The very fact that I called out to Jesus in a Muslim stronghold, carried spiritual significance.
We don't need to enter a mosque to meet Jesus where he's working. We can join Him anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Prayer, encouraging words and acts of service change the spiritual atmosphere around us. We can bring the love of Jesus to our home, workplace, grocery store... II Corinthians 2:14 declares that we exude "the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place." And this can occur anytime, anyplace, anywhere...even in a mosque in Egypt.
In what situations can I exude “the aroma of Jesus?”
“Jesus, help me to ‘bring you’ into every arena of my life.”