The coffee shop’s hubbub distracted nineteen-year-old Hani from the thoughts that troubled him. This Cairo hotel was a refuge. But the steaming cup before him could not quench the misery in his soul.
God Never Misses His Target
At the table behind him sat an American and an Egyptian. Hani could not help but overhear their conversation. The American urgently shared the gospel with his companion: “Jesus can forgive your sins,” the man insisted. “He died for you. He can bring your salvation, give you eternal life, and open a new page in your life.” Every truth the Christian proclaimed missed his intended target. When the two left, the foreigner was disappointed, and his friend unconvinced.
But Hani was never the same. The words he had heard stirred his soul. This is what he was seeking.
God Sometimes Leaves Fruit Unseen
The coffee forgotten, Hani rushed home. For the first time in his life, he prayed. He did not quite know exactly what it all meant, but he repeated to God what he had just heard in the coffee shop. He professed belief in Jesus’ death on the cross for him, and he asked God to forgive him and make him a new man. Hani had no idea what to do next, so he went to bed.
The next day, the young man searched his home for his family’s little-used Bible. His family was orthodox Christian, but he had known little of the gospel until the previous day in the coffee shop. Hani wanted to know more. He began to read the Scripture, but by afternoon, he realized he needed a teacher.
Hani returned to the hotel. “Where is the American that was at the coffee shop here yesterday?” he asked the hotel receptionist.
“He took the shuttle to the Cairo airport early this morning,” the receptionist replied.
That Christian never knew the fruits of his witness that day in the coffee shop. He flew back to the U.S. unaware how God had used him to transform a young life forever.
God Always Continues What He Begins
But what God began in Hani, He continued (Philippians 1:6). In the following months, God led Hani to a Bible-teaching church where he grew spiritually. Later, the Lord opened the door for him to study the Bible and theology at National Theological College and Graduate School (www.ntcgs.org). Today, over four decades later, he is a respected Bible teacher at his alma mater and throughout the region.*
Truly, God is at work, even when we do not see it. God’s Word does not return void, even when we perceive little evidence of its effect (Isaiah 55:11). Being a faithful witness is always worth the effort. Mary Slessor, pioneer missionary to Nigeria, could not have said it more clearly: “Christ sent me to preach the gospel, and He will look after the results.”*
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
* Read more about Mary Slessor and serving faithfully regardless of the results in Daring Devotion: A 31-Day Journey with those who Lived God’s Promises, Day 22, page 133.
