Pray for the Muslim World
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Order your “30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World” prayer guide here.
Our 52 page booklet is translated into some 42 languages available from some 32 distribution centers. A Kids / Family edition is also available!
The annual, worldwide, 30-Days Muslim Prayer Focus is for Christians to humbly learn about Islam and pray for Muslims during Ramadan (Islam’s important annual month of fasting and religious observance). This years motto: “Loving Muslims Through Prayer”
Each year a new prayer guide booklet is published in a number of languages and locations around the world. The booklet is fully illustrated and contains daily readings with prayer points and informative background articles focusing on the Muslim world.
To look at bulk order discount prices in other countries and languages, which start at 10 copies, check our Ordering webpage here. (www.30-days.net)
Also available: a Children’s edition booklet (36 page, fully illustrated, complete with puzzles, “Did you Know” sections and much more). Ideal for the whole family!
Order your hardcopy 30-Days Muslim Prayer Focus Booklets while supplies last.
Pass this on to all the Christians you know.
Thanks, Ron and the 30-Days Team
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Is prayer dead?
There seems to be so little interest these days in prayer guides. What is the reason? Or am I wrong?
And of course I know that there are so many available, it seems like a flood. At the same time, I know of so many prayer guides which are not being printed anymore due to lack of interest.
I would be interested to know if anyone else thinks the same.
I was just wondering how we ” Christians ” would feel if ” Muslim’s ” decided that ” Christians ” have good intentions but unfortunately have got their religion mixed up and need the “Real” truth” reveled to them !
Therefore ” Muslim’s ” will pray for ” Christians ” to come to understand and accept Islam as the one true way to God and will set aside the month of Easter or Christmas because ” Christians ” are more prone to be influenced during their Holy times and need to be saved ! ……
……..so?
……..how would we feel?
I would be interested to know if anyone else thinks the same.
I don’t have an answer to your hypothetical question. But I have an observation. I live in a country where 50% of the population is Muslim. I often share with Muslims that I am praying for them. Invariably they thank me for my prayers. In my ESL classes, my Muslim students often ask for prayer. I usually invite them to pray with me and they are happy to do so. In my experience, prayer offered in a spirit of love and respect has never been refused.
Dear Mr. Smith,
I don’t think the Muslims have their religion all mixed up. I don’t pray for Muslims to accept Christianity or embrace the Christian religion. I do pray for Muslims to get to know Allah better - to see Him as He really is. I pray they will experience Allah’s love and His desire to have relationship with them in a way they never have experienced before.
Why pray especially during this time? Mainly because Muslims are more spiritually aware during Ramadan. But if I don’t build relationship with them all year long - special overtures during this holy month won’t amount to much.
Miriam
Muslims do believe that Christians are mistaken and that the Bible is corrupted and I am sure Muslims do pray that Christians will convert. They are very active in their evangelism. This does not worry me as a Christian, God says: ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’ (Jeremiah 29:13) When I seek God with all my heart I find the loving, forgiving, awesome God that sent Jesus into this world. Any prayers that I might know this God in a deeper way are more than welcome.
There is not room here to go into the historical, biblical or personal reasons why I place my confidence in Jesus. Suffice it to say that knowing him I am compelled to share this knowledge and love and pray that everyone might be given the chance to make an informed choice for themselves.
I am intending to follow the muslim example and fast and pray during their month of Ramadan. A young muslim man I spoke to at a university graduation ceremony in Toowoomba said, they fast during the day to know what it is like to be poor and without food.
Fasting, as a biblical principal, is being abandoned along with kneeling to pray, putting football before church, and TV before God’s Word.
How can we expect God to answer our prayers if we don’t follow His guidelines given to us in the Bible?
Janet Woolard
Master Ed Studs: USQ
I was confronted once by two trainee mullahs on an internet chat channel compelling me to convert to Islam…they spoke and used similar methods of persausion and fervency as i would have used to bring them to the saving grace of our Lord….this opened my eyes to the fact that you are dealing with people who are just as zealous and passionate, if not more so than you or I are about what they believe, they have a mindset of what they believe and that wont change until it is effected by something stronger from outside…i.e. Holy Spirit revelation of the truth (Jesus)
that there is something missing in their faith without Jesus.
Osama bin Laden certainly has the answer–his latest message included a call for the conversion of Christians to Islam. It is one of his solutions to the muslim-christian conflict problem. My idea would be just the opposite, it would certainly be more peaceful!
Assuming that you really do mean that they would actually be pleading to God on my behalf (which is different from al-salat, in my understanding), I would be absolutely delighted. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life…who couldn’t be happy about ANYONE, Muslim or not, seeking truth?
Our intent is, or should be, that God would guide all humankind into truth. What better prayer could a Muslim pray for Christians at Easter? I would welcome such prayers and I am sure our Lord would honour them. I for one certainly do not have all the truth that is in Jesus (or Isa), whom the Gospel refers to as Truth himself. Are we willing that He should lead us all, Muslims, Christians, Jews, atheists, whatever, deeper into truth? I find much in Islam that is true - may God lead them and us ever more deeply into the Truth.
I love it when my muslim friends tell me that they are praying for me! Even if it’s as simple as “lord willing you will be a muslim.” It means that God is being brought into our relationship! Has Mr. Smith ever asked a muslim what s/he thought about Christian friends praying that the Almighty would reveal himself to her/him? We westerners often feel so threatened by religion in general, that we assume everyone else in the world feels that way. But that’s not the case. I’m sure there are a wide range of opinions on this matter.
Throughout Islamic history Muslims have continually sought to convert Christians and show them the right path, be it by preaching and persuasion or by the sword. They are commanded to do dawah to all peoples. However, this does not offend me, because we are in a spiritual warfare and should expect people to be opposed to the gospel and trying to convince us otherwise. However, we have the Truth who revealed the Father to us, while they only have law revealed from an unknowable god who is always something other than we can image. Therefore, we should pray for God’s mercy and grace to come upon them, for they are like sheep without a shepherd. Why not make a focused time for that or we will forget?
We have no problems with the fact that Muslims may pray for us as Christians. Great things we are told are wrought through prayer more than we can ever know. The difference for us is that talking about Christianity as a religion sells it short. You can argue the right/wrong causes of religion which many still do and have always done throught history but thr reality for Christians is that God sent his one and only Son to die and rise again for us and is alive today so that we can have a relationship with the living God by his grace alone. We can’t earn it and we certainly don’t deserve it. That is why so many of us sing about God’s Amazing Grace! Clever people, and some not so clever people will always philosophise,debate and argue but when the grace of God hits you and his presence becomes a reality in your life the love of God gives you no choice but to pray for others so that the family of God can be complete. A great encouragement and challenge to us is to be involved by prayer for fellow Christians in Christian minority countries. They live with persecution in all forms yet they pray for their persecutors because they know that prayer in the hands of the believer has great power to change and sustain.
I think we all need more of the Truth revealed to us. Too often I think that even Christians tend to act as if simply knowing the right things to say is enough and we aren’t all that transformed ourselves.
I have a dear friend from Iran who is Muslim who will be fasting during Ramadan. I asked him to pray, for everyday that he is fasting, for God to reveal Himself to him. I, in turn, will be fasting and praying for him.
Maybe as Christians we need to have our hearts broken by God so that we will be on our knees and faces for our friends who don’t know Christ… Muslim or not.
I’d be just fine with that. I’m sure that there are many Muslims praying for my salvation. I appreciate their good intentions, and celebrate the religious freedom they have to do so. I also am firmly convinced that their prayers will not be effectatious, though they be directed to the one true God, for God desires that all men would know Christ as I do, accept for these chains. He wants intimacy, something outside Islam (accept among the Sufis), and something only fully realized in Christianity. He wants a recognition of sin and guilt, and the recognition that he has the power and love to remove it. His desire is for all Muslims to come to him.
Mr. Smith:
If, unbeknownst to you, there were a barrel of gold buried in your back yard, perhaps you would not be offended if I presented you with a map that pinpointed the exact location of your treasure. You could reject my map for many different reasons. Perhaps you already have gold enough; perhaps you think I’m playing you for a fool. However, if you have even the slightest sense that something is missing in your life, or the slightest inkling that I might be speaking the truth, you could choose to follow the map to prove for yourself whether I was telling the truth.
The Christian impulse to share the Gospel is like that. It does not stem from a sense of superiority over others (as you appear to think), but a sense of excitement and opportunity about letting people know that an unexpected treasure is as close as their own back yard. And by the way, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the roadmap.
Mr. Smith,
Regarding you question as to how I’d feel as a Christian knowing that Muslims would be praying during Christmas and Easter for my conversion: I assume that they are–at least the devout ones. I’ve had Buddhists pray for me, befriend me, etc for conversion sake. I’ve had others want to persuade me. i don’t find it offensive. My goal in praying during Ramadan is not to prove somebody “wrong” — it’s to show them the love and grace of God. What could possibly be wrong with that? Is there something which trumps that?
This is not about religion. This is about relationship. Christ died for our sins, while we were still sinners…He loves us the way we are, yet loves us enough NOT to leave us that way. As Romans 2 says, “it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance…”. Let us be showing through our lives His goodness, His love and mercy. Prayer shows that. It is not about judgment. Romans 2 also forbids judgment…for the obvious reason that when we show judgment, the goodness of God cannot be seen. Please, let us show the love of Christ through this season. For the good of all, and for His glory!!
I found Christ through the friendship of a Muslim woman who drew me closer to God.
Many Muslims look at the overall state of those who call themselves Christians and yet are not disciples and see the decadence, blasphemy, and tolerance of sin and do pray for our salvation. They also pray that the tolerance of sin that they see will not will not influence them or their children.
There is beauty in the Muslim fear of God and quest for holiness, as there is in Judaism. May it also be said of Christians that we know the Lord enough to see the beauty of His holiness, and love Him enough to walk with Him and to be the light He said we would be.
Part of my prayer during this time is that the Lord will pour out His spirit on all flesh according to His Word - His spirit of truth. I agree with my brothers and sisters that we can all grow in the love of the Lord and the knowledge of Him. May we give glory to the One who is the way, the truth and the life.
To reply to Mr. Smith’s question - Like others who have answered here, I have had Muslim friends pray for me and even regularly include me in their prayers. I have done the same for them, and they have appreciated it.
I think the bottom line for me is that those Muslim friends and acquaintances I speak of are sincere in wanting to know God. And they bring a willingness to speak of God and his works to everyday conversation in ways that most North Americans are very hesitant to do - devout Christians included.
In truth, i have found it much easier to talk about my beliefs - and the living out of them - with many Muslims than with my nominally “Christian” friends and neighbors.
it is my belief that God is calling us (those who have put faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ) to go past the barriers that sometimes seem so immovable, and to actively befriend people of other faiths, including Muslims. *Not* to try and convert them, but to offer them the love of Christ in relationships - as friends, as neighbors, as colleagues, as business associates, etc. (I could keep adding to this list, but I’m sure you can easily add to this list. :))
One of God’s greatest blessings in my life: the friendship and kindness of many Muslim ESL students. They have welcomed me into their homes and their families’ lives, showing a genuine hospitality, respect and more. Most Muslims come from cultures where relationships with neighbors and friends are quite a few degrees warmer than in the US, Canada and much of Western Europe. I have honestly felt more at home with many of my Arab Muslim friends than with people from my own culture/background! (That is also true of people from other parts of the world as well.)
If you meet people with honesty, an open heart and the desire to act in Christ’s love, good things can - and often do! - happen. So, as others have done in their replies, I would like to gently challenge you to take some steps forward, in prayer and in other ways. God is sovereign, and he knows the hearts of those who truly seek to know him. Our “job” is to be available to those for whom he gave himself, is it not?
All the best to you!
“Noora”
Last night I attended a Midweek worship service, the pastor talked about his trip to Dubai and the history of Islam faith, and how it was and is a threat to the ancient CHRISTian faith. Nevertheless, he concluded with the ending passage of Ishmael’s account in the Bible (Genesis 16) when Hagar proclaimed God as the One who sees! (Gen 16:13)
Indeed, God sees all nations and He is in control! Let the God of Abraham breakthrough to the lives of our Muslim folks.
Trusting,
julius
Dear Mr Smith
I am not sure that our Muslim friends have the same concept of intercession as that which is imparted though the Bible. If some Muslims do pray for Islam to spread throughout the world - and strenuously try to convert people as a result - because they believe that people will experience eternal suffering if they are not Muslims, then that should not be a suprise to Christians. Many other groups besides Islam have the same views and the same aims. We are in a spiritual battle after all - and such trials can be used to keep us humble and to purify our faith. Jesus said that his followers would be persecuted by those who thought they were serving God (John 16:2-4). Let us be like Paul so that we can truthfully say “my heart’s desire and prayer is that they may be saved”. May the grace of God be with you, with those who trust in Christ, and with the lost whoever they are - Muslim and non-Muslim.
Prayer is a mighty force in the course of history. Who cares whether Muslims pray for me or I pray for them?
The true God will answer and lead us both into ultimate truth. I know that it will be the way of Jesus Christ. Isa will lead the Muslim to Himself (Jesus Christ).
Mr. Smith and All Other Responders,
First of all, I believe it is wrong to say Christianity is a religion. It is, in fact, a relationship with the Living God. I failed to read any response to the fact that Muslims do not acknowledge the Christian God as the One True God who stated that He Is “I AM” and there is “NONE OTHER”, nor do they acknowlege Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. By the way, the “god” they worship is not JEHOVAH so the prayers that they offer do not harm or benefit anyone. I do believe that we should pray for God to be merciful to the Muslims as He has been to those of us who confess Him as LORD and SAVIOUR. Remember “No one comes to the Son, unless the Father draws them” is a true fact the ALMIGHTY declared, we are to beseech Him to show the same grace and mercy, as He showered upon us as believers, to all who are without Him. It is a shameful truth that too many who declare to believe live like the world and bring shame to His Holy Name. We, Christians, are to be careful to obey His every word and the only way we can know His word is to read it everyday and pray for understanding and strength to obey. We are commanded to “… pray for all men everywhere”. Let’s trust and obey the one True GOD whose Son died and rose again for the world.
We need to humbly acknowledge that we all need prayer. I have Muslim friends whose devotion inspires me and I welcome their prayers, as they welcome my prayers for them. They have a strong faith in God and desire to know Him more fully, as do I.
Our goal ought to be to aid one another onto a path of deeper knowledge and awareness of the way, the truth, and the life of which Jesus spoke. Also, this is not about changing anyone - that is God’s business - but rather about building one another up in faith no matter what culture we find ourselves in.
Since Muslims have been taught that the Bible is corrupted and thereby cannot be trusted, Christians grieve that such are missing the true life-giving message of Isa al-Messiah. Surely a Muslim would be unhappy if he heard that the account of Mohammad’s life in the Quran was unreliable. So, while I can respect the life and teachings of Mohammad, I desire that those of Jesus be proclaimed.
No one but God’s Holy Spirit can change a person’s heart. We can only pray that we all come to a greater knowledge of the truth; I certainly would never claim to have all the truth to be found in scriptures or elsewhere. Nor would I ever claim to have exclusive knowledge of our creator (God, Jehovah or Allah - all terms used by early Christians). What I do know is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news to anyone who has not heard it, and sadly there are many Arab countries that persecute minorities and prevent access to the Bible – though ironically the Quran authenticates the Bible and encourages Muslims to consult the ‘former scriptures’. So it is my prayer that all may have access to, and realize the wealth of inspiration contained in the Christian scriptures and the unconditional and redemptive love, grace and forgiveness of God through Christ.
Only this way can individuals make informed choices for themselves, know the love that casts out fear and experience the fullness of the truth that sets us free.
I live in Israel and our relationships t;o Moslems is honed by the fact that we all work together and are inter dependent. Recently when my husband was dying in the intensive care unit of a Haifa hospital, a badly wounded Hamas figher(shot by Fatah) was brought into the next bed, accompnied by his very frightened younger brother. Together with a friend I prayed for his brother, and day by day attempted to show friendship to this man. When my husband died, the younger brother asked to see me and condole with me. He explained that he had hated all Jews and Israel, but since he had met me, (and seen how his brother was cared for in the hospita), he had changed his mind. Although we can commumicate only through interpretation, as he speaks no Hebrew, he keeps in touch, is reading the Bible, and meeting with Arab believers.Our prayers, salted by a little love and compassion , go a long way.
Dear Ruth,
THAT is what will bring the Muslims to acknowledge our Lord and will bring peace to Israel. I thank you for your testimony - in acts like these, we will convince the Muslims of the Father’s love and of ours as His representatives. This convinces the heart, where argument can only convince the head (if it does not antagonise first). Lord, give us the grace to be your hands and feet to those around us. Bless this young man and his brother and lead them to Yourself.
Chris on Sept. 11th responds to Mr. Smith’s question.
I loved the analogy Chris used of the barrel of gold buried in their back yard. What riches have been given to those who believe in the ONE GOD..the GREAT I AM.
We are not out to prove them WRONG but to show them what we KNOW to be RIGHT. Jesus died on the cross to help us all understand and have access to that TRUTH.
Our wealth is found in that TRUTH. Sometimes I find it difficult to read these requests that I have printed out daily to pray through the Ramadan 2007 “Loving Muslims Through Prayer.” I desire to change those written words into my own prayers.
My love for Jesus and love for the unsaved , that I most likely will never meet unless they find JESUS, gives me the motivation I need. to make the effort to make my prayer personal….so that some day in heaven WE WILL MEET one another.
I truly believe that prayers are like “Music” to God’s ears. When the words come from our heart…He understands the words perfectly. As we can continue to live in His Righteousness daily we can do nothing less than pray for the heart of all man-kind to find the greatest treasure of all…JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOR.
I was not born ‘Knowing JESUS” as my LORD and SAVIOR. I only knew ‘of ‘ HIM. But I had a deep desire to know what is True, so I prayed many times that GOD would lead me only to Truth…to protect me from believing a lie; and then to help me know the difference. Much time went by and I was looking here and there, always hoping to’ find ‘ what is true. Then one day…..TRUTH ‘ found ‘ me! TRUTH is not a ‘concept’ it is a Person….and HIS Name is JESUS the CHRIST.
You see, I couldn’t ‘ find’ truth, because I didn’t know what to even look for. But Truth knew me, He knew where to find me, because “He came to SEEK and to save….”. and once HE found me, He took all the brokeness of my life…and HE made me whole. I was now a “New creation, the old was gone and all things were new”; I began to love who and what I once hated; and I began to hate the sin I once loved.
HIS SPIRIT was now in me….which enabled me to reckognize for the first time….TRUTH. Before, I was blinded and unable to reckognize HIM. BUt HE took the blinders off….and now I could ’see’.
ISA (Jesus) came to me….and HE changed my life. I will never again be the same. And that is why I will pray for Muslims to ‘reckognize’ the TRUTH. And I will pray for Jews to ‘reckognise’ the Truth…..and i will pray for ALL people everywhere to ’see’ that Jesus is not just ….’A’ way….He is THE WAY, and HE is THE TRUTH…..and most beautifully, HE is THE LIFE!
How could I know first hand, such overpowering Love and Forgiveness….and not want ALL people everywhere (even those that hate me because I love Isa) to know HIM too? But I would never try to ‘force’ you or anyone to follow HIM. I can however, Pray.
And so I will continue to pray…that He will open the eyes of all who sincerely want to ‘know’ TRUTH.
LORD GOD, I ask You…in the Name that is above every other Name…..I ask You…open the eyes tonight of those who seek to know TRUTH. Help them to see JESUS….. in their sleep…give them dreams and visions of the only Son of the Father, that they too will know what it means to be free, forgiven, loved…and new. And ’til the day I die I will never stop thanking you for finding me…and saving me. I Bless You Heavenly Father….for sending Your only Son…to pay the penalty for MY sin….and may I never cease to tell all who want to hear…that Isa is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE and no person comes to the Father except…through HIM. And it is in the Mighty, Beautiful Name of JESUS …I pray.
Jed, I believe has a clear understanding of the prayers of the Muslims. Their prayer is fervent for all they know, in fact all non-Muslims to accept Islam as the ultimate religion. To care enough for these misguided people will change our hearts and cause us to agonize in prayer for them to know the love, peace and power that only God through Jesus can give. I desire only to show any I meet the love of Jesus that is within me. So, I pray for dreams and visions for multitudes to see and follow Jesus.
Yes, the prayer is definitely intense because when we pray we are completely submitted to God. Misguided? Please be more specific as to how we are misguided.
For the commentor who seemed offended or overly concerned about offending Muslims by praying for them during their holy month…
You are misinformed. There is no good will spiritual equivalent in Islam. There is no “praying for your enemies” or good will pouring out from a living God concerned about all people knowing Him and loving Him more intimately. In Islam, obedient compliance is absolute. God is God; mankind is nothing unless God wills good or bad for His own sometimes indecisive purposes. It is an entirely Christian concept to be loved by God, forgiven without retribution, or deservedly excused from punishment in unity with the overall legal interest of justice.
The GOOD NEWS (gospel) Christians have that is incomperable to Islamic teaching is that God loves all men like a doting father who wants to adopt us, that He will forgive us of our sin when we legally claim to follow the sacrifice He provided in Jesus (law of grace), and that we will then not be deservedly punished for our sins (law of mercy). Each person must choose for oneself to seek a divine personal relationship [love God] and accept those whom God has sent to them, Jesus first, and then others [love our neighbors]. In that “new law” of grace and mercy, all of the other laws are fulfilled. Why be ashamed of this message?
During Ramadan, Muslims are listening for and seeking God’s will to avoid excessive judgment by Allah; they want to know and learn what the right and good things to do are so as to incur his favor. Our prayers for God’s good news to come to Muslims has nothing whatsoever to do with compliance or religion and everything to do with divine reconciliation and forgiveness…musalaha.
Christian prayers to our Heavenly Father that He speak to Muslims and the very real needs they all have in their lives and families is nothing to be ashamed of or offended by. Praying that they will hear God’s voice and know His perfect will for their lives is the same prayer they have for themselves. But our God is alive and able to do exceedingly wonderful things.
May people meet their Heavenly Father who loves and longs for fellowship with them!