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Imagine a young Muslim man looking down on his shattered neighbourhood from his fifth floor apartment in Southern Beirut. The Israelis had certainly left their mark on South Beirut. The young man’s mind goes back to the air raid sirens and the failing bombs. Life has not been easy since the shop where he worked had been obliterated by a huge bomb. Not having regular work the young man now does temporary work for friends and family. If he could just get a bit of money he would go to Dubai or Doha in the Gulf to look for a job. Even the thought of his present financial situation irritates him. He is frustrated, lacking peace of mind.

Outside several hundred metres away the muezzin finishes his call to prayer over the loud speaker. Instead of going to the mosque the young man decides to pray in his apartment on his own prayer rug. But first he was going to do the ritual cleansing. In the cramped bathroom he begins by declaring his intention to cleanse himself and pray by saying “Bismillah” (In the name of God). He then washes his hands up to the wrists, three times. He rinses out his mouth with water, three times and cleans his the nostrils by sniffing water into them, three times. He proceeds then to wash his whole face three times with both hands from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the chin and from ear to ear. Finally he washes his right and left arms three times up to the elbow and terminates by washing his ears and his two feet.

Then the young man remembers the previous night. He had been near the bars of Gemmayzeh, an eastern Beirut “Christian” neighbourhood. So many pretty young women were there. The young Muslim had really desired to enter a bar himself, however he had no money for much of anything these days. His anger rose a he thought of the conflict with Israel and conflicts with Christians. No job, little money. No peace.

Then the young man unrolled his prayer rug.

Prayer requests:

* Beirut’s Muslims cleanse themselves outwardly for prayer but many find that injustices, hurts, and temptations fill their minds. Finding real peace with God could liberate them to forgive and love others. May they discover the God who truly forgives and cleanses (Mt 18:23-35, Romans 5:1-5).

* Pray that the Church in Lebanon will be “salt and light” in the city, that God would be glorified in all that is said and done. There are very high numbers of non practising “cultural” Christians among the Lebanese (Mt. 5:14-16; Romans 12:1-2).

* God has his own purposes and plans for Israel yet for Lebanon’s Muslims (and often Christians) it is very hard to understand how to love or appreciate Israel. May the God who loved both Arabs and Jews through the cross be fully revealed (Ephesians 3:6).

Beirut 1.5 million people (perhaps 50% Muslim)

Background information, maps and statistics on Lebanon can be found on our 30-days.net site here >>

+ Google Map Link: Beirut, Lebanon

+ YouTube Link:

+ Gospel Recordings in Arabic from Beirut, and also N. Lebanese Literary:

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