August 15, 2014
Ephesians 1:15-21
(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)
Will David Be In Heaven? No, I am not talking about King David, the great king of Israel who ruled a thousand years before Christ. That David will surely be in heaven, since God said of him in Acts 13:22, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” Yes, he was a great sinner, but he greatly repented, and King David was a man of great faith. I know he will be in heaven!
The David I am referring to is a Palestinian Muslim street vender whom I met in Jerusalem in 1996. Part of the itinerary of the tour we were on – sponsored by Educational Opportunities – was that we visited different stores and shops and sat through presentations by the owners. Of course, the business owners – as well as our guide, Doren – wanted us to buy from these featured merchants. We were informed, therefore, to stay away from the Palestinian street venders.
I tend to be ‘rebellious’! I figured the overhead was a lot lower for the street venders, and so their prices would also be lower. Besides, it is expected to dicker with these venders and get the best price you can. I did not go into the Jewish-owned jewelry shop that was our current stop, and instead sought out a street vender. His name was David, and he was selling carved stone boxes. He spoke some English, and we haggled and arrived at a good price for the box I wanted. And since I had some time before the group was done with the jewelry presentation, David and I talked. He was a friendly and interesting fellow, and open to hearing a bit about my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said he could not understand how we could worship more than one God. I tried to explain the Trinity – One God in Three – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but that isn’t easily explained even to someone who has a good command of English!
This Palestinian Muslim man made an impression on me. I have been praying for David for 18 years now – that he would open his heart, mind and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to see him in heaven.
In Ephesians 1:15 through 21, Paul is expressing his prayerful desire for the Christians of Ephesus – to grow in their faith and become mature followers of the Lord. So this is really a scripture that concerns believers. But I feel it expresses my desire for David:
…I…do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His
calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and
what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according
to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He
raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly
places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to
come.
I thank God He allowed me to meet and interact briefly with David. I pray that indeed “…the eyes of [his]…understanding…[may be] enlightened…,” that he will “…know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe….” I pray that David will come to understand “…the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead….” According to Romans 10:9 belief in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is vital: “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” I pray that this Muslim man will come to know the supremacy of the Triune God revealed in the incarnation of the Jesus. I pray that David’s sins will be washed away by the blood of the Lord, and that he will be reconciled to the Father.
Will David Be In Heaven? I believe he will be there! You see, I know that God has laid him on my heart so that I pray for his salvation. And since – as it says in I Timothy 2:3 and 4 that, “God…desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth…” – God’s will is for David to be saved, and I am praying according to that will, then God will hear me and answer my prayer (see I John 5:14 and 15).
And I hope David by his Christian testimony brings to heaven many Muslim family members and friends!