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Last night, I received news about Arabah Joy that I never expected to read.
My wife was in bed, putting our boys to sleep, when I read the news that Arabah Joy had passed away.
I sent my wife a message: Arabah died.
She began to cry.
A few moments later, she read the email herself. Both of us had subscribed to Arabah Joy’s emails, but for my wife, this loss was especially personal.
Although we never had the opportunity to meet Arabah face to face, her life and ministry had entered our home long ago.
And when someone blesses your family, you do not easily forget them.
Arabah Joy Helped My Wife Grow Closer to God
For approximately three years, my wife was part of one of Arabah Joy’s online groups.
There she learned more about prayer, walking with God, and developing a deeper relationship with Jesus.
Sometimes we underestimate how much one person’s spiritual growth affects an entire family.
As my wife grew spiritually, we all benefited.
When she learned something new about prayer, it shaped the atmosphere of our home. Her desire to seek God more deeply eventually reached me and our children as well.
Therefore, even though Arabah’s ministry was directed especially toward women, I can sincerely say:
Our entire family was touched by her ministry.
A Small Gesture My Wife Never Forgot
There is one particular memory my wife still carries with her.
During an online Zoom gathering, Arabah asked three people to publicly share their testimonies.
There were, as my wife remembers it, around a thousand people involved.
Arabah chose her as one of those three.
My wife is Romanian. English is not her first language, and she does not speak it perfectly. For that reason, being chosen meant even more to her.
She felt honored.
More importantly, she felt seen.
Arabah probably considered it a relatively simple decision. Yet sometimes a small act of encouragement becomes a memory another person carries for years.
That was one of those moments.
We Hoped One Day to Meet Arabah Joy
Since 2018, our family has been hoping and planning to return to America for a visit.
Over the years, my wife and I talked many times about the people and places we wanted to visit when that day finally came.
Arabah Joy was on that list.
My wife especially wanted to meet her personally.
We would say, “When we go back to America, we should find a way to visit Arabah.”
Yesterday, I realized that meeting will never happen in the way we imagined.
That hurts.
Still, because of our hope in Christ, we believe death does not have the final word.
I Learned From Her Too
My wife was not the only one who learned from Arabah.
At one point, I purchased one of her courses about studying the Bible.
I am a pastor and have graduated from theological seminary. Nevertheless, I have always been interested in seeing how other believers study Scripture.
There is always more to learn.
I appreciated Arabah Joy’s approach.
From time to time, I also read her newsletters. Almost every time, I found something that made me think, encouraged me spiritually, or gave me another perspective.
However, what I appreciated most was not simply her methodology.
It was her passion to know Jesus.
Again and again, she directed people away from herself and toward God. She encouraged believers to pray, open Scripture, seek the Lord, and sit at the feet of Jesus.
That is a legacy worth remembering.
A Light in a Very Dark Place
The Internet can be a dark place.
Every day we encounter anger, pornography, manipulation, endless arguments, shallow entertainment, and content designed merely to steal our attention.
In that environment, the writings and ministry of Arabah Joy were different.
They were like a small light shining in the darkness.
She used the Internet not merely to build an audience but to encourage people to know Christ.
We desperately need more people who will do that.
We need Christian writers who deeply love Scripture.
The Internet needs voices that call people back to prayer.
Above all, we need creators whose greatest ambition is not to make themselves famous, but to make Jesus known.
Arabah Joy reminded many people of that calling.
When We Do Not Understand God
I do not know why the Lord allowed Arabah’s earthly life to end now.
There are moments when we simply do not understand God’s providence.
We ask, Why now? Why her? Why when there was still so much she could have done?
I do not have those answers.
Nevertheless, I believe something I have preached many times:
God does not make mistakes.
His wisdom is greater than ours. His perspective reaches farther than ours. Consequently, faith sometimes means trusting Him when we cannot explain what He is doing.
For now, our hearts and prayers turn toward Arabah Joy’s husband, children, grandchildren, extended family, friends, and the many people who loved her.
May the God whom she loved and served surround them with His presence and comfort.
And may those of us who were touched by her ministry carry forward something of what she taught us:
Know Jesus.
Stay close to His Word.
Pray.
And use the life God has given you to point others toward Him.
Thank you, Arabah.
Your ministry reached farther than you probably ever knew.
It even reached a Romanian family thousands of miles away.
If Arabah Joy’s ministry touched your life too, consider sharing in the comments one thing God taught you through her.
I am a blogger, writer, pastor, Director of Zion Romania Bible School, husband to Olguta, a father and, most importantly, a child of God. I also completed my studies at the King’s University where I earned a B.A. in Theology with a concentration in Messianic Jewish Studies. I love Israel and I love the ‘Jewishness’ of the Bible.
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