We are spending this week praying for Muslims as they make preparations for and begin Ramadan, their month of fasting. Would you join us as we pray for God to bring hope to these people who are lost and dying without him?
Today we pray for communities of believers in Muslim nations who are facing persecution for their beliefs. Christianity is directly opposed to what Islam teaches, and those who carry the gospel into Muslim areas along with those who are saved out of Islam are often very much in harm’s way.
Jesus warned us that this would be the case for those who follow him: “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).
We are often tempted to pray that persecution would simply stop, but this is not always how God would have us pray. I personally know of many people who have actually been led by the Lord NOT to pray for persecution to stop, because of the surprising way it tends to serve as a catalyst for the growth of the church in God’s upside-down kingdom.
Persecution is not the enemy. Satan is the enemy, and persecution is a way he tries to silence the gospel but it almost never works. So pray for believers who are experiencing persecution, that that would stand firm in the faith and that God would be near to them. Pray that like the early church in Acts 4, that ehy would be able to rejoice that are counted worthy of suffering for Jesus. Pray also that their testimony does not fall on deaf ears, but that the trials they face would be like the seed that falls to the ground and dies, but goes on to produce a hundred-fold harvest.
Thanks for praying with us this week! We are so glad you’re a part of this community. We couldn’t do this without you.