Prayer for the Muslim world: A biblical example overlooked for far too long

PRAYING FOR MISSIONS

November 2018

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. Will you consider joining us?

By a former missionary in the Middle East — We promote the 10/10 Prayer Initiative because we are convinced that our collective prayers are important.

Praying that 10 percent of the Muslim world will come to Christ in the next 10 years is a big ask. We do not take it lightly. We rest in the knowledge that prayer has played a role in the growth of the church since the beginning.

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thess. 3:1 , “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was among you.” Paul specifically asked the church in Thessalonica to pray for another people group! He asked those who had previously received the gospel to pray for others to receive and honor the gospel. So we see that this is not a novel idea. It has been around a long time; the problem is that the church historically has responded selectively to its implementation.

The gospel still has a long way to go

The gospel has gone out to many nations and peoples. In fact, geographically, the gospel has gone to the ends of the earth. However, when the Bible speaks of “the nations,” it is not just referring to geographical boundaries; it is referring to “people groups,” and there are places and peoples that the church has skipped over. The Muslim world is front and center on this list. Historically the Muslim world has either been avoided or attacked by the Church, and the results have been less than pretty from both approaches. But things are changing; in the last 30 years, the Church has started waking up to the leading of the Holy Spirit. More and more people have begun praying in earnest and taking a different, more-engaging approach. As a result, more Muslims have come to Christ than in all the previous 14 centuries!

This is indeed exciting, but when we consider that there are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world today, even thousands coming to Christ isn’t much more than a drop in the bucket. Three other quick facts to consider:

81 percent of Muslims today don’t have a Christian friend or even know of a Christian that they could talk to about spiritual things.
Less than one cent of every dollar given to Christian causes goes toward reaching the unreached!
90 percent of missionaries work among nominal Christian communities; only 10 percent work among the unreached.

These are the reasons that the 10/10 Prayer initiative is a big ask; in fact, it is so big that only God can make it happen.

This is why your prayers are needed

These challenges and others are why we invite you to join us and step up to take Paul’s admonition seriously. Let’s apply the same standard today, as we are like the Thessalonian church—we have heard and believed in the gospel, the Good News that though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God made us alive through Jesus his Son, who died on the cross and rose again, conquering once for all the power of sin and death. Since we have trusted in Jesus and believed in this Good News, we need to share it with others. Even others who are very different than ourselves.

As part of this prayer initiative, some people are choosing to pray once a month, others once a week and some even at 10:10 a.m. every day. In whatever time frame you feel led, please be faithful in bringing these needs to the Lord with earnest, heartfelt prayers. Pray with bold anticipation that the Lord of the Harvest will bring these untold millions to their knees—to confess their sins and receive his amazing grace and mercy.

Prayer requests for South Asia

In addition to the 10/10 request, we ask you to pray for South Asia. (Click here to find opportunities to serve with SEND in South Asia.)

War-torn countries like Afghanistan have seen years of unrest and fighting that have left almost every family with the loss of at least one loved one. In addition, land mines and “collateral damage” from nearby fighting have resulted in many serious injuries that will never be properly rehabilitated. Pray for peace, and more importantly, pray that people caught in this vise of pain and suffering would come to know the Prince of Peace.

Many South Asians report having dreams and believe strongly that there is meaning in them. Pray for dreams to help bring many to Jesus.

People who do come to Jesus in this region are often persecuted and even killed for their faith. Pray that like Stephen in Acts 7, they will be bold and cling to their new faith, strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

Family-based community is very important in this region. Pray for families to come to Christ so that they may have a strong witness and ability to stand together.

Pray for more people to be willing to go to this region as disciplers of the new believers that God is drawing to himself. This will be a key prayer request in the growth of the 10/10 Prayer Initiative, as each new family that comes to Christ needs to be discipled.

Your prayers launch missionaries out to unreached peoples and give them success through the power of the Holy Spirit. Subscribe to Intercede & SEND , our monthly global prayer calendar.