Friday, April 29, 2022

Muslims end the month-long Ramadan fast with a celebration known as Id al-Fitr, a national holiday in Muslim countries. There are parties and festivities. No more rigorous abstention from food and drink. The mood changes from somber to joyful. Family members get together. People give alms to the poor.

Yet, it is not uncommon at this time of jubilation and glee for people to feel empty and unfulfilled.

Prayer

Blessed be your majesty in heaven, O God (Ezekiel 3:12). You are the True God, the only God to be worshipped and adored. You are the source of true joy and comfort; you are our hope.

I pray for these dear friends; may they allow you to transform their lives. Although they are breaking the fast at this time and celebrating and feasting, what they really need is Jesus, the Bread of Life. Open their hearts to receive the message of Christ. Give them a hunger and a thirst for the Word of God. Put in them the desire to know Jesus and follow him.

You promised to spread a banquet, a feast of rich food for all peoples (Isaiah 25:6). Lord, Muslims are very needy; they are hungry for you, even if they do not realize it. I pray that the love of Christ will touch their hearts. May they realize the importance of Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary. May many of them, even today, commit their lives to you, our Lord and Savior, and find true peace, joy and rest in you. Amen.

Promise

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37-38, NIV).

Friday, April 22, 2022

Yemen is located in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemeni people belong to numerous tribes and are very distinct from other Arab races. Though the Gospel reached that country early on, now Islam is the predominant and only acknowledged religion in that country.

Civil war has devastated the country for several years. Violence is rampant, terrorist groups operate freely, thousands have died, tens of thousands suffer from malnutrition, many hospitals and schools have been destroyed, and the state infrastructure and institutions are in shambles. At the center of all this lie sectarian differences and tribal strife among Muslims.

Prayer

Merciful and compassionate Father in heaven, you are our comforter, you are our source of peace. We look to you alone because you are our only help and reassurance. I bring to you the country of Yemen that is experiencing terrible suffering, misery, and the overall ruin of society because of war.

I pray for Yemenis to receive your Word in the language and dialects they speak and understand. Bring multitudes of them to your Kingdom. Help believers grow in the love and knowledge of the Lord and mature as they live for him and propagate their faith. Give them the ability and courage to witness to others with ease and anointing.

I pray that churches will be planted and spring up in every tribe and tribal division. Lord God, grant that local indigenous pastors and leaders be in charge of the flock, and may they act with integrity and honesty in the fear of the Lord.

In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, your Son, my Lord, I pray. Amen.

Promise

Come to me, all of you who are weary and have heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28, SAB).

Friday, April 15, 2022

Today we remember Jesus’ crucifixion, the only means by which we have eternal life. Islam rejects Jesus’ death on the cross. The Quran states that he was never crucified, that he never died, and that instead, God took him to heaven alive. Muslims reason that God would not let Jesus, the good prophet, die such an ignominious death on a cross for sins that others committed.

Muslims do not see the seriousness of humans’ sinful nature, so they reject the need for redemption. For them the cross is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

Prayer

God Almighty, our loving Heavenly Father, we acknowledge you as our eternal Redeemer. We come humbly, awed by your love and Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary. What shame and pain he endured to save us from sin and doom! The Lamb of God died to give us life. Thank you.

My Muslim friends do not understand that Christ’s death on the cross was your supreme gift to sinful humans. Help them realize that they are sinners who need redemption. Show them the power of the cross that saves us from sin, transforms our lives from darkness to light, and rescues us from the kingdom of Satan to make us part of the Kingdom of God.

Convict them of their serious sin of rejecting the cross. May they believe your Word and accept the Gospel. I plead for Muslims that they will know that Jesus died to redeem them from their sins and rose to justify them. Remove the veil from their minds; open their eyes. Capture their hearts with your love.

Help Muslims understand that the day Jesus died on the cross was not a gloomy, depressive day. It is a day of victory over sin, Satan and death. It is a day of celebration and joy.

All praise and glory to you, crucified and risen Christ, the First and the Last, the Living One who died and who is alive for ever and ever. Amen.

Promise

For the message of the cross is sheer nonsense to those who are lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18, SAB).

In Islam

Friday, April 8, 2022

The Quran advises a husband to beat his wife in certain circumstances. Here is the verse:

As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them, then refuse to share their beds, and then beat them (The Quran 4:34).^[1]

So, if a husband physically strikes his wife, he does so because he follows the precepts of the Quran. Often the wife accepts beating because she sees it as the will of God.

The Bible never condones wife beating. Since striking someone is usually a result of uncontrolled anger, it is considered evil. The Bible gives us two essential guiding principles for how a man should treat his wife:

1. A man should love his wife as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25).
2. A man should honor his wifeand treat her respectfully as an equal recipient of God’s grace (1 Peter 3:7).

We should note here that in spite of the quranic verse, many decent men have genuine love and respect for their wives. They treat them very well and would never lift a hand against them. Also, in a few cases I have encountered, it is the Muslim wife who beats her husband. That, of course, is a rarity!

Prayer

Lord God, your Word is like a hammer that breaks the rock (Jeremiah 23:29). I pray that you will send your Word to Muslims and turn their hearts to you to accept the claims of Christ as the only Savior from sin, the Ruler of the universe, and soon-to-be Judge of all.

I pray for battered and mistreated wives. I know it must hurt you to see your creation abused. Send your Spirit to these women and their husbands to demonstrate that you love them. May they all realize that you are waiting with open arms, ready to welcome them into your Kingdom and accept them as children by faith in Christ Jesus the Lord.

Promise

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1, NLT).

Footnotes

^[1] The author’s translation from the original Arabic.