She Found her Messiah!

God’s Love spans the gap between two religious cultures to reach a young woman’s searching heart.

By Lara Susan Rosen

I am a Jew. Raised by two Jewish parents, I was taught to believe the Jewish religion. The one thing that separates Judaism from all other religions is that the Jews are literally looking and waiting for the Messiah. While I was not exactly looking and waiting for the Messiah per se, I was looking for something. That something turned out to be my Messiah, my Savior—Jesus Christ.

Judaism is based upon a lot of traditions, celebrations, and superstitions. Probably one of the best-known practices of Judaism is the observance of Sabbath. As observed by the Orthodox Jews, Sabbath takes place from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, and is intended to be a complete day of rest for both man and animal. In observance of this day, Jews are taught not to do any form of cooking. All dishes are to be prepared in advance, since the actual preparation of the meal itself is labor-oriented. In fact, writing, sewing, or anything work-oriented is prohibited. In addition, many Jews will not participate in certain games or sporting events.

Traditions were not valued

The observance of Sabbath and other Jewish traditions did not possess any value to me. While at times I went through the motions of being “religious” by attending Temple, I did not feel any comfort, love, joy, or happiness. Finally, I stopped doing even that. All along I was looking for peace and happiness. I believe everyone does. People are always searching for who they are or want to be. Sometimes, while doing this, they turn to such avenues as drinking, drugs, or even immoral sex. I discovered that those things don’t satisfy. Even when I went to parties and had a good time socializing, when I got home, the fun I had been experiencing and the joy I had felt were gone. I would realize that I hadn’t progressed any in my search. Oftentimes I would be left with an empty feeling inside. I wanted something more.

During the winter of 1991, I began to take a hard look at myself, and became very disappointed with what I saw. While I had never considered myself to be a bad person, many of the things I had chosen to take part in left a hurt feeling inside. To make the matters worse, I recognized that these things could have had a lasting effect on my life. The pain I felt became so severe that all I could do was cry.

Tried her friend’s religion

It was then that I remembered a friend of mine. She is the kind of friend who is always there for you. It wouldn’t matter what the problem was, she would always have comforting words to say. She is a Christian, and I knew she found comfort through the Bible and prayer. Since it worked for her, I thought I would give it a try. I happened to have a Bible and read chapter 15 from the Book of Luke.

The following day, I decided that I really needed to talk about this problem with my friend. It was a Friday evening and they were having services at her church. We decided that I would go to church with her and then go out afterward to talk. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about going to church with her, but reluctantly said yes, hoping that I would feel better after talking with her.

Well, God works in mysterious ways. The preacher that night read the very chapter I had read the night before. Having no real knowledge of the New Testament, that made an impact on me. After the service, my friend and I went out to talk. Again, it seemed all I could do was cry. The pain had built up inside of me so much that it hurt, and in my mind there was no solution. I had made my mistakes, and now I was to suffer the consequences. My friend, however, had another answer. She began telling me about salvation and that the only way to Heaven was through Jesus Christ. She said that I needed to make my life right before Him. Matthew 11, verse 28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Isaiah 40:29 says, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

Prayed a simple prayer

That was exactly what I needed—rest and strength. Not knowing how to pray, my prayer was simple, but Jesus came into my life and made a real change. All the pain I had felt disappeared. I felt so new, so alive. I had never believed in Jesus Christ. In fact, I was adamantly against Him. Why, I’m not sure, but that night He made a believer out of me. He saved my soul and gave me all the things I had been longing for: lasting happiness, calming peace, love, and security.

Jesus is just as real to me today as He was in 1991. When He comes into your life Jesus makes an obvious change, old things pass away. You become a new creature. You do not have the urge to do the things you once did. My desires to party, as well as to do other things that were wrong, completely and instantly disappeared. I found that nothing in the world provides as much enjoyment as serving the Lord with all your heart.

As a Christian, you strive to be like Jesus. If I am deciding whether or not to participate in something, or even associate myself with certain things, I think of Jesus. I ask myself if I would want Him to be there with me. I know not to commit sin or even surround myself with things that are sinful in nature. The Bible describes what sin is. In chapter 5 of Galatians, verses 19 through 21, it lists various sinful activities. However, that verse ends by saying, “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” In 1 John, chapter 3, verse 9 it says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” I don’t have the desire to do those things anyway. If I feel that something would hinder me spiritually, I choose not to take that route. The Bible says, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We are also told to be holy in conversation, holy in thoughts, and to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

I always want to keep my eyes on the Lord, because I believe He is coming soon. The Bible says He will come as a thief in the night, and those who aren’t ready will be left behind.

Experiencing God’s care

I thank God for the peace, reassurance, comfort, and love He has given me. I am not worried about what is to come in the future. I am not concerned with whether the budget cuts are going to affect my schooling. I am not concerned with whether I will find a job when I graduate. I know that if I am where the Lord wants me to be, everything will be okay. The Bible says, “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). I am simply amazed with how Jesus has taken care of both the big and little things in my life. He is so good to me. He takes care of me, comforts me, and is my Friend. I do not want anything to come between us, because nothing the world has to offer could have filled the void that was in my life. Activities, hobbies, not even friends, could meet the need that Jesus filled in a moment.

There is a song entitled, “When the Time Comes.” The words are:“When the time comes, I want Him to know me; When the time comes, I want to be there. When the time comes I want to be ready, When my Jesus comes to take me Home.”

That is precisely what I want.

Lara Susan Rosen is a member of the Apostolic Faith Church in Los Angeles, California.