Friday, December 31, 2021

The Quran states that God made men superior to women and gave them authority over them.

There are at least 600 million female Muslims in the world. A strong force of humanity! While some are subdued, uneducated, house-bound and socially oppressed, others are highly educated and have broken outside the norms to become powerful socially and politically. Some are poor, others are affluent. Like all other humans, Muslim women have hurts, fears and worries. They are concerned about their children and families. They need love, assurance and security.

I believe that if we want to bring many Muslims to Christ, we have to intercede on behalf of Muslim women.

Prayer

Lord God our Maker, how great you are! I praise you! You made us man and woman in your image to express your glory and creativity. You formed us in an amazing and wonderful way! Your workmanship is marvelous. I worship you and give you glory and honor.

I intercede on behalf of Muslim women. They need to know you,to experience your love and assurance. You have reserved a great place for them in your divine plans. Arise, O God, and have compassion on Muslim women. Grant them your favor through Christ’s grace. Help them to see how Jesus honored and blessed women and how he lifted their heads and valued them dearly. Help Muslim women to see that Jesus died for them to give them life, hope and joy.

May they be touched by Christ’s love and tenderness. He is the only One who can forgive their sins, meet their needs, heal their hurts, soothe their fears and calm their anxieties.

Make many of them into godly women who will use their great abilities and sensitivity to raise godly families and bless their communities with Christian values.

In the precious name of your Son I pray. Amen.

Promise

God is a shield for all who take refuge in him… Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Psalm 18:30; Matthew 11:28-29, NIV).

Friday, December 24, 2021

One of the major cornerstones of biblical Christianity is the doctrine of the incarnation; that is, God became man. This is the miracle of miracles, the most majestic of all events! Yet Muslims absolutely reject it. They totally oppose the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ.

When Christians declare that Christ is God, Muslims misunderstand it to mean that Christians worship more than one God. To them, Jesus was only human and was a prophet like all other prophets.

Further, when followers of Christ say that Jesus is the Son of God, Muslims misunderstand that to mean that God, like humans, had relations with a woman and that Jesus is their son!

Prayer

Amazing love! How can it be, that the majestic God, Maker of heavens and earth and King of all the universe, should come in the form of a man, a servant, to be “Immanuel—God with us” to redeem us!

Father in heaven, grant Muslims a special measure of your grace to accept the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ is God become man. Help them realize that this does not degrade or humiliate you; rather, this is the pinnacle of majesty. It is ultimate love and compassion. It is utmost sacrifice.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Lord of all, you are rich, but you became poor for our sake. May this truth shine forth into the souls of many Muslims this week. May they embrace you in their hearts with joy and gladness. May the Child who was born in a manger, the Lion of Judah, be crowned King and Master over the House of Islam! In his precious name I pray. Amen.

Promise

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth…. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 1:14; 3:16, NIV).

Friday, December 17, 2021

Sharia is an Arabic word that means “a path to be followed.” In its most common use, it refers to Islamic law. The inference here is that Islamic law is the path that should be followed in various decisions. That law covers the whole of religious, social, economic, political, domestic and private life for all who profess Islam. There are two primary sources for the Sharia: the Quran (the holy book of Islam), and the Hadith (or sunna, that is what Muhammad said and did).

Punishments according to the Sharia include lashes for drinking alcohol, amputation of a limb for theft, stoning for adultery and homosexuality, and so forth.

In some places (such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, parts of Indonesia, and the Gaza Strip), government-appointed religious police regularly patrol public places to enforce Sharia law.

One goal of fundamentalist Muslims is to impose Sharia law wherever there are Muslim populations. They have even succeeded in having it used in the legal system in Great Britain.^[1]

Prayer

Eternal Father, Holy Son, Life-Giving Spirit, blessed be your majesty in heaven, O God (Ezekiel 3:12). I pray that you will help Muslims understand that although the Sharia allows them to kill sinners, that will never uproot sin. Help them repent of their self-righteousness and come to Christ, the only true Savior.

May your light shine on them and give them a glimpse of your immeasurable and unfathomable love (Ephesians 3:18-19).

By the power of the cross, may they receive eternal life and be transformed to experience your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Instead of declarations of blame, judgment, condemnation, and verdicts of death, may their vocabulary be transformed into expressions of redemption, forgiveness, cleansed hearts, pure minds, grace, victory, crucified self, songs of joy, and eternal life!

May your holy name be praised for ever and ever. In Jesus Christ, your Son, my Lord, amen.

Promise

We know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law (Galatians 2:16, NLT).

Footnotes

^[1] “The Telegraph”, March 22, 2014, and in June 2020 the internet carried news of attempts to do that in Minneapolis, USA.

Friday, December 10, 2021

The concept of taqiyah allows Muslims to deceive non-Muslims. This word means to mislead, dissimulate or outwit.^[1] So a Muslim who feels threatened because of his religion can deny anything that might endanger him—even his faith!^[2]

Taqiyah is based on quranic verses such as: “Let not believers take disbelievers as supporters… except if you fear danger from them” (Quran 3:28, Noble Translation, p. 71).

Muslim commentators explain this verse as follows:

1. “If you, Muslims, are under non-Muslim authority, and you fear for your safety, act as if you are loyal to those non-Muslims… while hiding inner hatred for them.”^[3]
2. “When a Muslim fears evil from non-Muslims, he may protect himself through outward show.”^[4]
3. “Let us grin in some people’s faces while our hearts curse them.”^[5]

So Muslims can act like non-Muslims and even claim they are Christians to protect themselves!

Prayer

Lord Christ, Light of the world, the way and the truth and the life, we worship and adore you. Our hearts groan for Muslims who do not know you as the glorious Lord and loving Savior.

We are surprised that this teaching is part of their religion. We are tempted to denounce them for sanctioning deception. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to intercede for Muslims with compassion.

You desire honesty, truth and integrity (Psalm 51:6). We pray for those who deceive others. Draw them to you and cheer their hearts with your divine presence. Lead them by the hand to the cross, shower your mercy upon them and help them experience your grace.

When Muslims who have come to Jesus share the Gospel, fill them with courage they have never known before. In Christ’s name I pray.

Promise

“If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32, GW).

Footnotes

^[1] Hans Weir, p. 1282.
^[2] Taqiyah in Islamic Thought (Arabic), Dr Sayyed Thamer Amidi, Risalah Center, n.d., p.11.
^[3] At-Tabari, d. 923.
^[4] Ibn Kathir, d. 1373.
^[5] Abu Darda, one of Muhammad’s close companions.

Friday, December 3, 2021

A great many Muslims are downtrodden and feel neglected and abandoned. They see no solution to their situation. Socially, they feel oppressed and demoralized and see no way out. Financially, they experience hunger and poverty while others around them bask in riches. Spiritually, and most importantly, they are poor and needy and to a large extent they do not know it!

Prayer

Compassionate God, full of mercy and grace, give me a tender heart toward those who feel unloved, lonely and forsaken. They “look for light, but all is darkness, look for bright skies but walk in gloom” (Isaiah 59:9-10).

They sometimes feel like broken vessels that cannot hold anything or be of any use. Yet your Word tells us that you choose to put some of your invaluable treasures in such vessels! It tells us also that you choose to use such containers as vessels of honor. All this is beyond our ability to fathom. O what measureless grace!

Divine Savior, you know what it is to be despised and rejected. Arise, LORD! Stretch forth your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless (Psalm 10:12). Reveal Jesus Christ to them in his love, compassion, humility, and sacrifice. He is the only One who can bind up their broken hearts.

And as with you, Lord Jesus, anoint me to proclaim the Good News to the poor. Send me to the brokenhearted to announce freedom to the captives, to declare that the blind will see, the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and the time of the Lord’s favor has come—all by the power of the name of Jesus (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19).

May I be your hands extended today to touch someone and lift him or her up. In your mighty name I pray. Amen.

Promise

The poor and needy are seeking water, but find none. Their tongue is parched with thirst. I, God, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them… Our Lord upholds those who have fallen and lifts up those who are bowed down (Isaiah 41:17; Psalm 145:14, SAB).