USA (MNN) — Did you know that Muslims claim Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Ishmael as major figures in their religion? Did you also know that Muslims also have a positive view of Jesus?
Few Muslims, however, know anything about these figures in the Bible. While they know little about what Christians believe, few Christians know what Muslims believe. Mission Network News is encouraging you to change that with the "30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World" prayer guide.
Islam's holiest month is Ramadan. This year Ramadan is July 20 through August 18. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. They believe it's one of the highest forms of Islamic worship. Muslims abstain from earthly pleasures and curb evil intentions and desires as an act of obedience and submission to their god, believing it serves as atonement for sins, errors, and mistakes.
Mission Network News is making available a prayer guide from WorldChristian.com titled, "30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World." This prayer guide will help you pray more intelligently and effectively for the Muslim world.
Paul Filidis with
WorldChristian.com says this 21st edition of the prayer guide was created "to motivate Christians to pray for Muslims. But it also educates people about the Muslim world. It gives highlights, or an overview of the Muslim faith — different issues in the Muslim world — and [talks about] different locations."
Today, television and even the internet is only exposing us to the radical side of Islam as terrorists have used Islam to attack innocent people. Filidis says, "If we're only exposed to that, then we may be tempted to not respond with the mind of Christ, but be fearful, angry, and even hateful and rejecting and generalizing all Muslims as terrorists."
While the booklet isn't exhaustive, Filidis says, "The prayer booklet is organized in such a way that there are testimonies, general information and articles on Islam, and then every day a subject is addressed. At the end of the subject there are prayer points that we can pray related to that day's subject."
One Christian who got involved last year "organized a Skype prayer meeting. Every morning she had several people who met on Skype together [to pray]. That's a new one on me."
Filidis says this isn't only a North American initiative. "It's a worldwide mobilization. I'm emphasizing that to help [Christians] realize they're not praying alone. There are at least 30 to 40 languages worldwide that have the same material. They'll pray in their languages for the same subjects each day."
As you help support Mission Network News with your gift of any amount, we'll send you the newest edition of "30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World" to help you understand and pray for Muslims worldwide. Filidis says, "It is tragic when today we [as Christians] look at the Muslim world not with compassion, but with a default with fear and rejection."
