Standing in His Story in Istanbul

Ephesians 1:15–16 NLT
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly.

[07/04/2025; Sony A6400]

Istanbul had always been on my list, but I didn’t expect to love it this much. It didn’t just meet expectations; it took the top spot. My favorite place I’ve traveled thus far. The city pulses with life. It’s a bit chaotic, yes, but also elegant, ancient, and alive. The food is unreal. Minarets rise into the sky while ferries glide across the Bosphorus Straight. The story of this trip started the moment I landed, through the taxi ride into the city, and finally, to my first stop, The Hilton.

Check-in wasn’t until 2pm (it was 8am), and thankfully, the receptionist had a room available for me. Here I was, sitting in a hotel room in Istanbul, feeling grateful for this season and for how much life has changed over the last few years, and how much I’ve been able to see. What stayed with me was this deep sense that I wasn’t just walking through a place, I was walking through God’s ongoing story. God makes no mistakes (Psalm 18:30)

In history, we talk a lot about places like Greece or Rome, two places I have been and of course Jerusalem where I have not been. But the truth is, so much of the New Testament was rooted in what is now Turkey. Additionally, so many of the greats in history have had some sort of conquest in this part of the world, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Constantine, The Apostle Paul, and many many others.

Biblically speaking, Paul was born here in Tarsus.
He traveled across this land.
He planted churches, preached, wrote letters, some of which were sent to cities still standing today.

Ephesus, where he stayed over two years (Acts 19). He also wrote Ephesians.

Galatia, the region to which he wrote Galatians.

Colossae, Laodicea, Smyrna, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Thyatira, these are all names straight out of Scripture. All of them? In modern-day Turkey.

My first major stop was the Blue Mosque, and the square outside with the Hippodrome ruins. After that, I visited the Hagia Sophia. I stood inside its soaring dome, beneath the blend of Christian iconography and Islamic artistry. The Hagia Sophia is an active Islamic Mosque, and while I was there, the call to prayer was actively happening, and I got to see many in their act of worship while I was on the top floor (which is for tourists)

Fast forward to a rooftop restaurant overlooking all of Istanbul, Where East meets West, here I was, in the very region where these words were first spoken into being “I have not stopped giving thanks for you…” Paul wasn’t just writing doctrine, he was writing to people. A living, breathing church. People he loved. People he prayed for.

And somehow, being in this place made those words feel not just historical, but present, speaking into my own walk with Christ, into this very moment.

That night, I took a guided food tour that ran late into the evening. We walked through different districts, even hopped on a local bus to chase down some of the best local eateries. The food here is fire and I don’t say that lightly.

And like Paul, I couldn’t help but feel grateful, for the people who came before, for those walking beside me now, and for the One who holds it all together.

On my last morning, I sat with my Bible and coffee as the call to prayer rang out from a nearby mosque. Even though my beliefs differ, I still paused because there’s something sacred about a city that reminds you, regularly, to seek God.

I took a moment to pray, feeling grateful for the people I’ve met. For the ones reading this now and just like Paul, I found myself saying: I have not stopped giving thanks for you. We’re part of a lineage. A household. A story that’s still being written.

Closing

Let this be your reminder: You are not forgotten.
You are part of something ancient and beautiful.
God has been moving through generations, through places like Ephesus and Colossae and Istanbul, and He’s moving in you, too.

God makes no mistakes, you are a miracle story. The ground beneath you has been soaked in prayer for centuries therefore choose to keep walking in faith because the story isn’t over and He’s still writing it with you in it.

Jesus is KING.

As you reflect this week, ask yourself: