International (MNN) — For the second straight year, the celebration of Ramadan has been restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Muslims have more freedom to move and celebrate than they did last year.
Peter from Cry Out Now says, “We are recognizing this is a key time for us as a body to pray. There’s a shaking going on, I believe, in Islam with mosques not open as much. People are a little bit more uncertain to be able to go and pray together with others. I just see the body of Christ really stepping up and praying into [this]. In a sense, our weapon is prayer and worship.”
Everyone gets involved
Since this month-long feast is so important to Islam, Peter says even nominal Muslims get involved. “Even if you’re not a Muslim, you’re not allowed to eat in public or drink or anything. There’s a sense that everybody’s involved. I just think people are more sensitive. This is a time that we hear of more dreams and visions, more people searching. There’s more opportunity for Christian workers in the region to visit with their Muslim neighbors and contacts that they’ve made.”
As Christians visit their Muslim friends and neighbors, pray hearts would be open to hearing the Gospel. Muslims see Jesus as a mighty prophet, but they do not believe he is one with God the Father, or that he has risen from the dead.
(Photo courtesy of vetman, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
