In places where following Jesus comes at a cost, God continues to demonstrate that His power is greater than fear, hatred and opposition.
Across Ethiopia, believers are courageously proclaiming the Gospel, trusting that Jesus is building His Church. Even when His people face resistance, nothing can stop God’s purposes. One such follower is Pastor Dawit*, who experienced an extraordinary demonstration of God’s protection and transforming grace.
A man had been recruited by an armed Muslim militia group and given a chilling assignment: to eliminate Pastor Dawit. Because of Pastor Dawit’s growing influence in the community and the number of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus Christ, he had become a target.
The man began carefully studying Pastor Dawit’s daily routine. For weeks, he followed him, watched his movements and gathered information, waiting for the right opportunity to carry out the attack.
Yet every attempt failed.
Each time he prepared to act, something unexpected happened. Plans changed. Circumstances shifted. Pastor Dawit took a different route or was delayed. Again and again, the assassination attempt was prevented.
Eventually, determined to complete his mission, the man decided there would be no more delays. Carrying an AK-47, he positioned himself along Pastor Dawit’s expected route, waiting for the moment to strike.
But as Pastor Dawit approached, something happened that the man could not explain.
Suddenly, he lost his sight.
Unable to see, he dropped his weapon in fear and confusion. Completely disoriented, he cried out for help. As people nearby came to help him, he was taken home.
That night he wrestled with overwhelming fear and questions. He could not escape one profound realization: the God whom Pastor Dawit served was unlike anything he had ever known. “If this God can stop me from carrying out my mission,” he reasoned, “then He must truly be the living God.”
The next morning, after some of his sight returned, he set out to find Pastor Dawit – with a heart full of questions and a desire to know the God who intervened so powerfully. When he finally met him, he confessed everything.
He told Pastor Dawit about the assignment, the surveillance, the repeated failed attempts, the final ambush, and the terrifying loss of his sight.
Pastor Dawit was shaken as he realised how many times he had unknowingly been in danger. Yet instead of responding with anger or fear, the love of Christ filled his heart.
He embraced the man who had come to kill him.
That day, Pastor Dawit shared the Gospel with him, and the man surrendered his life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
What began as a mission of death became a testimony of new life. This story reminds us that the Gospel does not simply change circumstances, it changes hearts. The same Jesus who protected Pastor Dawit reached out with mercy to the man who opposed him.
No hatred is too deep. No opposition is too strong. No person is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
As Scripture declares: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Please continue praying for Pastor Dawit, for believers serving courageously throughout Ethiopia, and for many more people to encounter the saving grace of Jesus Christ – even those who once opposed Him.
*Name changed for security reasons
