Gita* laid in the hospital bed, clutching her sick child. Worry and panic had settled in her heart ever since she’d brought her baby here.
And now, her child seemed especially still.
The doctor entered the room, looked at the small, lifeless body and then turned to the distressed mother.
Your child has died , the doctor told Gita.
The words Gita never wanted to hear now lingered in the room.
Gita was Muslim, but she realized then that Allah hadn’t been listening to her pleas. Desperately, she cried out to the new God her husband and his missionary friends had been trying to convince her of for weeks.
Jesus Christ, please , the mother begged, heal my baby!
Then, the child took a breath. And another breath. And another.
Shocked and amazed, Gita wept and thanked the God she hadn’t believed in before — and then gave her life to Him.
Will you join us in praying for ministries that bring Truth to Muslim populations ? Pray that more people like Gita will give their lives and their hearts to Christ.
Sign up here to get the new Prayer Focus in your inbox each month.
1. Ask God to reveal Himself to Muslims in powerful ways.
Although Islam is a religion of rituals, it’s also a religion of prayer. To Muslims, prayer is one of the most important aspects of spirituality — and one way they earnestly seek truth.
“Honestly, a lot of them are seeking God through prayer. They actually have a prayer where they ask God to reveal Himself to them,” says a TEAM worker who served in the Middle East for nearly a decade. “That’s one of their most common prayers. So just pray that He would.”
Now, in the wake of the Arab Spring, more Muslims are converting than ever before , which is a tremendous opportunity for revelation and evangelism . According to workers overseas, they seem to be truly hungry for the Truth for the first time in over 30 years.
Ask God to use dreams, friends, acquaintances and any other necessary means to bring hungry hearts to Him during this time. Pray that Muslims everywhere will find new Life in Jesus.
For Muslim-background believers, mosques aren’t just a reminder of their past; they’re often the source of ongoing persecution. Ask God to give new believers boldness in witnessing.
2. Pray that new believers will be bold in witnessing — and forgiving.
Many times, believers in Muslim countries suffer extreme persecution — lack of employment, social segregation, even physical abuse — throughout their lives.
Unfortunately, this tends to keep them from sharing their faith out of either fear or anger.
“Pray that they can grow more and more in the desire to witness to their neighbors,” a TEAM worker asks. “That’s not common there, because when you grow up in that persecution, you grow to hate Muslims.”
Pray that local believers will not shy away from sharing their Hope with Muslim friends and neighbors. Pray that they will cultivate radical forgiveness.
3. Ask God to fill Christians with courage to work among Muslim populations.
Throughout history, Christians have tended to overlook or fear Muslim populations. But when workers befriend Muslims in their homelands , something special happens — misconceptions are shattered, and real friendships are formed.
“The biggest myth we need to dispel is that Muslims are scary people, or people who are fundamentally different from us. They’re not,” says a TEAM worker in Central Asia. “We have wonderful friendships with our Muslims friends and neighbors. They have been incredibly gracious to us. … They are in need of salvation, just as we are!”
Pray that the Lord will change fearful hearts so more workers will be willing to go to Muslim nations for the sake of the Gospel. Pray that He will reveal the deep need among Muslim people and give courage where courage is lacking.
*Name changed.
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer! Click here to get a print-out of this month’s Prayer Focus requests and praise reports.
