Prayer for the Muslim world: People scarred by suffering

PRAYING FOR MISSIONS
February 2020

By a SEND Diaspora | North America worker — “I am old. I am broken. I am worthless, and I am stupid,” she said. I looked at her as she spoke those words, and the tiredness of her body and the weariness of her soul were etched deep into her weathered face.

My heart broke for her and for the thousands of Muslim women like her in this world. This mother of six was at the most 40, but she looked at least 65. Thirty years of war in her country, personal suffering and loss had aged her greatly. With her husband dead and uncertainty lurking around every corner, she faithfully worked hard to try to provide for her children what she knew she could not have for herself—hope and a future.

We had heard about this needy family and had come to their house to see how we could help. We were met at the door and politely invited in by the woman’s 18-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son. They served us fruit and said their mother was out shopping, but was expected to return at any moment. They had no car, so she had to walk 40 minutes to the closest store with her eldest daughter, age 20. After shopping, they had to walk back carrying all the groceries they had managed to buy with the money they had. I glanced out the window at our vehicle parked on the street and felt a twinge of guilt, realizing how easily I took simple things like having a car for granted.

The mother returned as promised and came into the room, greeted us and sat down wearily on the floor. She was polite but obviously tired from her trip to the store, so I quickly mentioned that we were there to meet her family and to see if there were any small ways in which we could help them. She asked for no help for herself, but asked if we could help her children with lessons.

When I said we wanted to help her, too, that’s when she replied, “I am old. I am broken. I am worthless, and I could never benefit from any lessons, as I am stupid.” When she said “broken,” I knew she meant her health was bad, but I could also see that she had been beaten down by the world emotionally and spiritually.

I mentioned a few ways we might be able to help and said that we would be back to see them again, and she half smiled and said thank you. Then I asked if I could pray for her and her family before we left. She seemed a bit surprised, but quickly said yes. So I prayed and asked for God to bring healing to all of us and to show us the way of truth and to give us the strength to live in his light and truth. I heard her say “Amen,” and I continued praying, knowing that she was not trying to close my prayer, but rather was agreeing with me.

I prayed for God to show me my sins and to forgive me for my sins. And this time I heard her and her children say “Amen.” I prayed for God to show this family their sins and to forgive them their sins. “Amen” echoed around the room. I prayed for his blessing for all of us, and especially for her family and their home, and I again heard an “Amen” from each one. When I finished praying, I looked up and saw smiles of appreciation on their faces.

As we drove home, I thought of all the other things I could and should have prayed for; I am thankful for God’s grace. I am challenged to pray for each of the things that mother said about herself, and I am asking God to prove her wrong by revealing to her that he loves and cherishes her and her children.

Is there a Muslim family in your neighborhood that needs you to stop in and ask how they are doing? Is there a Muslim family in your neighborhood that needs you to stop in and pray for them?

May God give us courage to respond to the leading of his Holy Spirit and his direction and grace for each step we take for his honor and glory.

10/10 Prayer Initiative requests

As part of the 10/10 Prayer Initiative, 180 agencies have come together to ask God to draw to himself 10 percent of the world’s Muslims in the next 10 years. 10/10. Easy to remember, yet such an amazingly big task that only God can do it. SEND International has committed to fast and pray the first Friday of every month. Will you consider joining us?

  • In the midst of busy schedules, may God give us willing hearts to visit our Muslim neighbors.
  • May Muslims come to realize that they are loved and cherished by their Creator.
  • May Muslims come to realize that they have worth and dignity, because they, like the rest of us, are made in the image of God.
  • May we rely on him for our strength and may he give us wisdom and direction as we share his truth with those who have never heard.



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March 7, 2025 Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God. But many Muslims won’t be able to keep the fast through the whole 30 days. The reasons and excuses are myriad. Sometimes they will continue to claim to be fasting, but in reality, they are eating behind closed doors. To gain God’s favor, they must fast through the whole month, not just part of it. So, they live with the guilt and shame of not fulfilling the requirements of Islam. What was supposed to help gain their salvation now stands in condemnation. A Feast Within the Fast To complicate matters even more, Persian New Year’s Day is March 20, right in the middle of the fasting month. Persian New Year is one of the most important cultural holidays for most Iranian and Afghans, as well as many others with a Persian background scattered throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. In fact, many people with Persian heritage don’t just celebrate on one day. Their New Year’s celebrations extend over two weeks! How do they reconcile these two weeks of festivities within Ramadan? For Arab Muslims, it is a non-issue. But for the Persian world, it IS a struggle. The hard-core Taliban will try to push people to keep the fast. However, many will lean more towards keeping their more ancient pre-Islamic traditions of New Year’s. I would encourage you to take time to explore with your Muslim neighbors and colleagues why they fast. Then share why Christians fast. Perhaps read Isaiah 58 with them, summarize it, and ask for their thoughts on this passage. One more thing to note during Ramadan is the Night of Power. Each year, during Ramadan, on or about the 27th day of the month, there is a special time called the Night of Power. This year it will happen on or around March 26. Muslims believe the Night of Power is when Mohammad first received the revelations of the Quran from the Angel Gabriel. Prayers offered up by Muslims during Ramadan—especially prayers in a mosque—are believed to be weightier than prayers at any other time. However, prayers on this special Night of Power, prayed in a mosque, are considered infinitely more valuable than any other prayer. Many Muslims will stay up all night praying on the Night of Power to earn extra points with God. There is a small problem in all of this, though—Muslims can’t agree on which night is actually the Night of Power. It is sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, with tradition stating that it is on the 26th or 27th night. There are several resources to help Christians and churches pray for the Muslim world through this month of Ramadan. I would encourage you to connect with some or all of them. Please make others in your church aware of these resources. Perhaps you could even host a special prayer time at your church, utilizing these resources. Ramadan 30-Day Prayer Guide Booklet – This can be purchased as a hard copy or PDF. Prayercast – A wonderful website with many videos on the Muslim world. If you sign up, you can receive daily prayer videos that also work great during a Sunday worship service to help raise awareness of the need for prayer for the Muslim world.
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