Friday, July 28, 2017

Abdel-Qader was a leader in a mosque in North Africa. His religious duties included leading Muslims in prayer and preaching to them on Fridays. When Jesus revealed himself to Abdel-Qader, he became a secret believer in Christ. Now he reads the Bible diligently and memorizes large parts of it!

How can he be baptized in water, partake of the Lord’s Supper and have fellowship with other believers? He does not know any other believers in his own town.

Abdel-Qader’s story is repeated over and over in Muslim countries around the world. Many Muslims who come to Christ feel very lonely because there are no churches or meetings they can attend.

This week we pray for these beloved, isolated believers.

Prayer

Almighty God in heaven, you hear our prayers. Blessed are those who put their faith in you and follow Jesus, your Son, in spite of difficulties. O God, you are our only true shelter, refuge, rock and fortress. We depend on you.

We bring to you all those who have left Islam and now find themselves alone in communities very hostile to them. Listen to our cry, O Savior divine. Look upon them, Lord God, and be gracious to them, for they are alone, lonely, helpless and vulnerable (Psalm 25:16).

Nothing is impossible for you. By your Holy Spirit, you can bring others in those isolated places to put their faith in Christ and become true brothers and sisters, real family to lonely believers. May they realize that they are part of an incredible, worldwide mighty army: the Church, the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the house of God.

Encourage lonely believers in Christ and fill them with your presence. Show them your face and smile upon them.

In Jesus’ precious name I pray, amen.

Promise

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy (Psalm 68:5-6, NLT).

Friday, July 21, 2017

Since ancient times, the Kurds or Kurdish people have occupied the area northeast of Mesopotamia known as Kurdistan. However, that area today is divided among Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria.

There are about 30 million Kurdish people. Most of them live in the countries mentioned above, while the rest are scattered in Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. For many decades, they have been struggling to unify their homeland and gain independence and identity.

Most Kurds are Muslim. However, because of the brutal violence they have witnessed in Islam, many Kurds have recently abandoned Islam to follow other religions, especially Zoroastrianism.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I intercede for the Kurdish people. Send the light of your Son, Jesus our Lord, to shine in the hearts of millions of Kurds. Open their hearts to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

O Lord Jesus, Lord of the harvest, I ask you to send Gospel workers to the Kurds. Call many believers to share the Good News with these people. I pray also for the missionaries, pastors and evangelists who are serving there now. Pour out your Holy Spirit on them, and enable them to be effective witnesses. Protect their families and encourage them.

I pray for our fellow believers among the Kurds, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Guard and keep them. Protect them from the assault of the enemy who tries to inflict disease, strife, loss, sin and suffering.

Alleviate the suffering of the Kurdish people. As they endure mistreatment and persecution from their fellow humans and coreligionists, reveal yourself to them in your compassion, love and care.

In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Promise

We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it (Numbers 13:30, NIV).

Friday, July 14, 2017

The Arabic word jihad means “struggle.” This is holy war against non-Muslims in order to subdue or eradicate them by any means. The most important bases for jihad are found in the teachings of the Quran and the example of the life of Muhammad.

Muhammad waged wars, used violence, carried off booty from conquered enemies, established a state and a government, used the sword, killed people, and promised his followers gain (Sura 4: 94; 48: 19). In many passages, the Quran tells Muslims to war against non-Muslims. A well-known verse in the Quran says: “O Prophet, incite the believers to fight” (8:65).

Muslims believe that if they are killed in holy war they will have their sins forgiven and go to paradise. Sometimes when two Muslim groups are at war with each other, each faction considers the other an infidel group and declares the war a holy war.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, your Word tells us that the devil was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). So I pray against the spirit of hatred, violence and murder, the enemy who deceives people and makes them think they can gain eternal life by killing others. I stand against the adversary. I rebuke him in the name of Jesus and claim his defeat.

O God of peace, may many Muslims repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Transform them into vessels of honor to proclaim the Good News that Jesus brings life, love and peace. May their lives express his forgiveness and meekness, and may they become peacemakers (Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:9).

For the sake of the One who bought our peace, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Promise

A thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10, REB).

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16:20, NIV).

Friday, July 7, 2017

The Quran, Islam’s holy book, is a collection of jumbled statements and stories in a random arrangement. Most of its stories are fractured and lack consistency. Subjects and themes are not connected.

So fractured are narratives in the Quran that only one story has a clear beginning, middle, and end: the story of Joseph. All the other stories pick up in the middle, or else they are never carried to their conclusion.^[1]

The Quran admits that Satan sometimes intervened and gave Muhammad “an inspiration.”^[2] It also states that Muhammad forgot some parts of it.^[3] Several chapters start with meaningless three-letter words such as alr, alm, etc. Even great quranic interpreters cannot find a meaning for such words.

In one place the Quran states that no changes occurred in its text,^[4] and in another it says changes to it indeed took place.^[5]

Prayer

Great and wise God, you are holy. We magnify your name and worship your majesty. You are our God, Lord, King and Savior. Thank you for the truth of the Gospel and for the consistency of your Word.

I pray for the Muslims I know, for Muslims around me, and for Muslims I have met recently. The book they are guided by is far from being your holy Word. Help them see and realize the incohesion and confusion in their book.

Reveal yourself to them. Show them Jesus in his compassion, sacrificial love and forgiveness. Let your Word penetrate their hearts. May they be convicted by your Holy Spirit and repent of the sin of rejecting your Son. May they believe in his redemptive power and kneel before him at the cross.

Help them grow in their knowledge of Christ. Anoint them and send them forth to proclaim the Good News to other Muslims.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Promise

If you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:40).

Footnotes

^[1] Nabeel Qureshi, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Zondervan, 2014, p. 177.
^[2] Sura 22: 52-54; 53:20.
^[3] Sura 87:6-8; 18:24; 2:106.
^[4] Sura 10:64.
^[5] Sura 16:101-102.