And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 NIV

 

There is a powerful message for us all in the deeply moving story of a prominent Muslim woman who began a quest to find God. One evening, Bilquis Sheikh, who lived alone in a beautiful home after being divorced by her husband, felt an evil presence in her garden. In fear she questioned her servants and determined to rid her home of this trouble. Before long she began to read the Quran and the Bible in her search for answers. She had a number of dreams about Jesus, John the Baptist and a perfume seller. One evening in her garden she was surrounded by a fragrant presence. This presence told her to seek out the Christian missionary in the area. Through a series of events, she learned to pray to God as a Father, invited the presence of Jesus into her life and was eventually baptised. Most significantly, although in grave danger for her life, Bilquis developed a powerful and living experience with the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit has been promised to all believers. Perhaps we are desensitised, and the presence of the Holy Spirit does not touch our hearts as it should. Jesus has said that we can know the Spirit of truth, that he will live with us and in us. May God the Father really touch your heart and fill you with the fragrance of his presence from this day forward.