Son of Hamas--book review/a must read!

My head is swimming with all kinds of thoughts and emotions right now. I just finished reading a book that moved me to my core. Possibly because of past experiences, but primarily because it was a bird's eye view of the hand of God at work in the middle of chaos. Knowing that God has a greater plan, hearing about how He orchestrates details in the lives of even those who do not believe in Him yet, is what gives me hope for all the mess I see in the world and the hatred and sin that I see affecting the lives of people around me.

I have known a couple of Muslims in my life. One was never able to accept the real Jesus as God. The other embraced Jesus as her savior so fiercely that it put my own faith to shame. The cost to a Muslim calling Jesus their God is greater than anyone else I know. Declaration of faith means a loss of all family connections forever. They are viewed as dead by their families. And for some it is a literal death sentence, because their religion calls for the death of those who deny the Muslim faith and Allah. For any Muslim even considering Christianity, they must think long and hard about how their lives will change should they believe. It is a frightening and serious decision, so you know that when they declare Jesus as Lord that they believe it with every ounce of their being. My heart aches for these people, and those that become Christ followers have my deepest admiration as heroes of the faith, for they know they will face persecution and possible martyrdom.

The book I read is called Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef. He was a speaker at a recent youth conference I attended with my husband and sons. Mosab's father was one of the original founders of the terrorist group Hamas. His story challenged me to ask myself if I truly believe ALL the teachings of Jesus. Am I living as though I truly believe? It's message screamed through the pages asking me if I am 100% in or only half-heartedly and when it is convenient.

A story of mystery and confusion, this book tells how God pursues this man. He comes into contact with Christians who give him a Bible and as he reads it over the next 6 years, Jesus becomes alive to him in it's pages. The message of Jesus has an appeal that no other religion has offered. What challenges his thinking the most is when Jesus says we are to love our enemies. It is so contrary to the hatred he sees all around him that Mosab isn't even sure how to process this message, but he cries out, "God, the Creator, show me the truth. I'm confused. I'm lost. And I don't know which way to go." And God answers his prayer.

Since then he has declared his faith in Jesus publicly, he has been cut off from his family. He is a wanted man.  He has sought safety in the United States. He has plans to continue to reach his people with truth. His plans carry danger as he wishes to expose lies. There is no doubt in my mind that the evil one wants to eliminate him, but it is also very clear that God's hand of protection has been on him and will not allow his life to be taken until his work here on earth is done.  Please pray for this man as he continues to carry out God's work and as he grieves for his family and his people who are lost and blind.  He has been responsible for saving many lives, literally, but I believe God still wants to use him to save souls. He needs the prayers of his brothers and sisters in Christ to carry out what still needs to be done in these volatile times. If you are interested in listening to him, he has some amazing clips on  www.sonofhamas.com. The book is worth buying.