The story of the picture - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:11

The story of the picture
I was born in North Africa but raised in France. From an external perspective I belonged to Islam, but in reality I was an atheist. As a passionate musician, I played numerous instruments and composed songs. One day, the head of my music publishing company suggested to me to write a musical. As I left the building, it started to rain, and I took shelter under a canopy which happened to be outside a church. When I entered, my gaze fell upon a depiction of a person holding a lamb in his arms. Beneath this picture was a sign: “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

This gave me pause and I wondered, “Who would be willing to give his life for others?” There happened to be a clergyman in the church, so I asked him to tell me the story of this picture. He gave me the four Gospels to read. As a result, I wrote a musical about the life of Jesus, although it was never published. Apparently, this was too controversial for my publisher. But for me, it didn’t matter at all because Jesus had entered my life. I stopped drinking and smoking. I no longer had any desire to spend hours in bars or to party; instead, I longed to return to North Africa and tell my wife Nora about Jesus. She, too, came to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ – having also learned that He answers prayer.

Now we serve the Lord together and compose songs to glorify God in the Berber language, as well as in Arabic and French.

Rafik

Today’s reading: Jeremiah 38:1-13 · Romans 8:26-30