Muslims will be fasting the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan (March 22-April 21). During this time, Muslims will focus their attention upon Allah, seeking forgiveness and blessings from him. Ramadan heightens spiritual sensitivities, and Muslims who are fasting often exhibit modified behavior. As Christians, we should pray for Muslims leading up to Ramadan and during the entire month.
First, pray that God will prevent Muslims from coming under the influence of evil spirits (jinn). Westerners often underestimate the spirit world relegating such matters to myth, superstition, and lack of education. However, millions of people live in fear of the jinn, and they turn to magic, witchcraft, and other ways of manipulating the spirit world. These folks are more concerned with answers to the problems of everyday life than they are the questions concerning God, eternity, and judgment. Prayer, fasting, and meditation upon an impotent deity leaves people open to the influence of the spirits. This may be why people exhibit unpredictable behavior during Ramadan.
Second, pray that while they are in this heightened spiritual state, Muslims will be open to the witness of the Gospel. Pray that Muslims will have dreams about Jesus. Many Muslims have dreamed that a man in a long white robe appeared to them and invited them to follow him. One such person dreamed that Jesus appeared and said to him, “Come unto me all you who labor and are weary, and I will give you peace.” Such dreams are not sufficient in and of themselves to produce saving faith in individuals, but they often point dreamers to the Christ of the Bible and create desire in their hearts to find out more about who Jesus really is. This often leads folks to seek out a Christian who can explain salvation, or it creates hunger in them to get a copy of the Bible and search the Scriptures for themselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill the hunger and spiritual void that Muslims feel as they fast.
Third, pray for the salvation of Muslims. Paul tells us that God our Savior “desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Pray that God will turn them from a false belief system, because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4). Pray that God will “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Jesus)” (Acts 26:18).
“Prayer is not to be viewed as just another spiritual weapon, but as the very act of battle itself as we work together with God to gain the victory for ourselves and others.” (Author unknown)
Prepare yourself to intercede for Muslim people during Ramadan:
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