Friday, September 2, 2016

This is the season when Muslims celebrate the pilgrimage to Mecca called hajj. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every adult Muslim who can afford it is required to make the pilgrimage at least once during his lifetime. On the average, more than two million Muslims from about 100 countries travel to Mecca each year to participate in this ritual. A Muslim who fulfills this obligation is said to gain merit with God and thus acquires the honorific title of hajj.

Pilgrims go through special purification rites, don a white, unsewn robe, and circle the Kaaba, the holiest Muslim shrine, seven times. Most try to touch or kiss the Black Stone. These are briefly some of the rituals of the hajj.

Prayer

O God, I pray that you will manifest your truth to Muslims. In the name of Jesus, I pray against the powers that cause hungry people to seek that which does not satisfy. Deliver them from the enemy’s oppression, darkness and servitude.

I pray for Muslims who have already made the pilgrimage. May they realize that it is only Jesus who satisfies our heart’s yearnings.

I pray for Muslims who are participating in the pilgrimage this year. Reveal yourself to them. Speak to them through visions, dreams, and other means. Show them the cross of our Savior. May they turn to Jesus the holy Son of God—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In his name I pray, amen.

Promise

Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains (Psalm 107:10-14, NIV).

Friday, August 26, 2016

Mecca, birthplace of Muhammad, is the holiest city of Islam. It has a population of over one million and is located in western in a dry valley surrounded by barren hills. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter this city.

Mecca is also the site of the Kaaba, the holiest Muslim shrine. All Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba when they pray. It contains the Black Stone which the followers of Islam believe was sent from God. Annually more than two million Muslims from all over the world visit to do the hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage.

Prayer

Almighty God, may Mecca cry out to you for deliverance. Help its people realize that they need you. Let them hear your Word preached clearly. I come against Satan and pray for the people of and for their leaders. Deliver them, O God. Set them free from Satan’s bondage and from the chains of sin. Give them eternal life. You provide “water in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:20). Please give the water of life to Meccans. Turn that city into holy ground where Christ will be worshipped and adored.

I pray for all Muslims as they face toward Mecca and pray five times a day. May they turn to Jesus and acknowledge him as their only way to approach God.

I pray for the vast numbers of pilgrims thronging toward Mecca during this season. Manifest your eternal love to them. May Christ reveal himself to them through signs, wonders, and miracles.

Promise

“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places” (Isaiah 45:2-3, NIV).

Friday, August 19, 2016

A true but very subtle and discreet “Jericho march” takes place in Mecca around the Kaaba, the most important Muslim shrine. A few believers in Christ who have come out of Islam travel to Mecca during the hajj season. They march around the Kaaba and claim it for the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.

I have a friend, a believer in Jesus, who used to travel weekly from Jeddah to Mecca. During at least one hajj season he toured the Kaaba, praying and pleading with God to declare his glory to Muslims gathered there, to give freedom to the Gospel in Mecca, and to grant that the name of Jesus would be preached freely inside the Kaaba.

Prayer

Almighty God, the only true God, worthy to be worshipped and adored, I tread here very cautiously. These brothers and sisters risk their lives to pray for the glory of Christ to be manifested. Multiply their numbers. Protect them and hedge around them with your angelic guard.

Answer their prayers and the prayers of many others who have been pleading at your throne of grace for decades. Open Mecca to the Gospel; dedicate the Kaaba for the preaching of the Truth. Our request may sound like an impossible dream, and for us it seems impossible. But we know that for you, all things are possible.

Father, by your divine power, tear down the walls that Satan has erected to keep people from hearing the Gospel. We look to the cross where Jesus died to redeem all, including Muslims. We draw our victory from Calvary. And we rest at your feet in faith with expectation.

For the glory of Jesus, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Promise

“I am about to hand Jericho, its king, and its warriors over to you” (Joshua 6:2, GW).

Friday, August 12, 2016

Is God untrustworthy? Does he deceive people? That is what Islam teaches. The Quran says that God is cunning: “They were sly, and God was sly. But God is the best of those who are sly”^[1]; “Only losers feel secure from God’s cunning.”^[2]

Abu-Bakr was the first male convert to Islam and the Prophet’s closest companion. He later became the first Muslim caliph after Muhammad. He once swore he would never trust God’s cunning, even if he already had one foot in paradise. He meant he would not feel safe from God’s craftiness, unless both his feet were inside paradise!^[3]

Prayer

Glory and honor, power and majesty to you, Lord God, our Father, the only true God. You are faithful. Your ways are perfect, blameless and just. You do no wrong (Deuteronomy 32:4; Revelation 15:3). There is no deceit in you (1 Samuel 15:29; Hebrews 6:18).

You do not change your mind (Numbers 23:19; James 1:17). You are the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

You are righteous in everything you do (Psalm 145:17). You are honorable. Your Word is true (Proverbs 30:5). Your promise is reliable (Psalm 18:30). You keep your covenant forever (Psalm 105:8).

Day by day, you manifest your mercy and love toward us. Indeed, great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23).

Help Muslims to catch a glimpse of your faithfulness, to experience your loving-kindness and receive your free grace. Help them know you as you are: the self-giving God, loving Savior, and heavenly Father.

In the most high name of Jesus Christ, your Son, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Promise

“I shall not violate my covenant, nor alter what I have promised. I have sworn by my holiness once and for all, I shall not break my word to David” (Psalm 89:34-35, REB).

Footnotes

^[1] Quran 3:53; 8:29.
^[2] Quran 7:98.
^[3] Khaled M. Khaled, Successors of the Apostle. Moqattam: 1970, p. 66, in Arabic.

Friday, August 5, 2016

Thousands of women and girls are murdered every year in Islamic honor killings around the world. If a woman or a girl behaves in a scandalous way or even if she is a victim of sexual assault or rape, her Muslim family often sees it as their responsibility to get rid of her. That way the family can have their “honor” restored! Usually it is the duty of a male family member to do the killing.

Studies show that family members normally do not accept any other alternative in their effort to remove the “stain on their honor.” They often see bloodshed as the only solution. However, if the woman’s or girl’s indiscretion remains hidden, it can be tolerated. As long as the actions do not bring dishonor, they are hushed and do not normally necessitate the honor punishment!

Prayer

Great Messiah, you went to the cross for us! We are all sinners, fallen and full of imperfections. We all commit shameful acts.

Yet, in your mercy, you died to save us and give us new life. You took upon yourself all our sin, shame and stain! Thank you. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for this free redemption. It is free for us, but it cost you your life, your blood. Thank you for your grace.

I pray for those who are committing these atrocities. Stop them in their tracks. Visit them in your mercy, love and grace. Change their hearts. Bring them into your Kingdom. May they repent and mend their ways. May they be willing to put all at the foot of the cross, even their staunchly-held and well-guarded traditions.

I entreat you, Almighty God, our loving Father, to help Muslims who put their faith in Jesus understand the power of your forgiveness and grace. Fill them with compassion and love. In the mighty name of Christ, amen.

Promise

“When I bring you home from exile, you will be like a pleasing sacrifice to me. And I will display my holiness through you as all the nations watch” (Ezekiel 20:41, NLT).