Friday, December 14, 2018
When Muslims say, “In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate,” all Muslims and many Christians do not know that this is taken from the Bible. This phrase demonstrates the early influence of Judaism and Christianity on Muhammad. Here are some occurrences of this combination in the Bible: compassionate and gracious (Exodus 34:6, NIV); compassionate and merciful (Psalm 86:15, GW; 103:8, NLT; James 5:11, GW); merciful and tender (Luke 1:78, TEV). So, this is not an Islamic statement, and it would be a gross mistake for Bible-believing people to abandon it and relegate it to Muslims!
Prayer
Compassionate and merciful God, our Father in heaven, glory and majesty belong to you. You have shined your light into my heart through Jesus Christ my Lord. You have forgiven my sin. Thank you. I am very grateful. That is why I bring Muslims before you. For although they call you merciful and compassionate, they have never understood the depth of your great compassion and mercy manifested at the cross of Christ.
Grant them the desire to know Jesus and experience his redemptive power. Fill them with your Holy Spirit. Encourage them to be active in bringing others to your Kingdom.
Keep me true to my responsibility to pray for them without ceasing and trust you for miraculous acts among Muslims.
To you, Almighty God who stooped down in compassion to be our Father, be glory and majesty and honor and power for ever and ever. Amen.
Promise
“In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer (Isaiah 54:8, NIV).
2023 Praying for Muslims 