All Days
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.
One of the primary ways God is drawing Muslims to Himself is through simple Bible studies that highlight passages of scripture from Creation through the Resurrection. The Waha app (https://waha.app/) contains many story sets that have been translated into dozens of languages. Throughout the 30 days we will pray through these story sets that reveal Jesus, the Word made flesh.
As you read these familiar passages, prayerfully imagine what it would be like to read them for the first time – to see the wisdom, power, beauty, and authority of God and to be drawn to trust in Christ and yield your allegiance to Him.
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Jesus was completely capable of stopping his arrest and subsequent crucifixion. He submitted willingly, not because of powerlessness, but because of obedience to His Father’s will. Multiple times he prayed “Not my will, but your will be done.” Pray for the beauty of Jesus’ willing sacrifice to bring many in this land to love and follow Him.
We also learn that Jesus experienced the deepest sorrow known to humanity. He was not stoic or detached from suffering. Pray for those in this land who are in deep grief to know that Jesus experienced even greater sorrow and desires to be with them in their pain.
Humans are weak. Our bodies get tired. Peter was full of zeal and claimed that he was willing to go anywhere with Jesus no matter the cost. Yet, after the Messiah asked him to watch and pray, he could not even keep his eyes open. Pray that this example would convince Muslims in this place that they cannot fast enough, pray enough, give away enough. Pray for this conviction to drive them to Jesus’ grace.
None of us has been a friend to Jesus like he has been to us. Pray for many in this land to experience friendship with Jesus, allowing that to transform them into His image more and more each day.
There is only one way for us to be rescued from this body of death. God the Son cried out to His Father, “If there is another way, take this cup from me.” God the Father did not take it away. Only by drinking this cup of suffering was eternal life made available to all who would believe.
Halima had heard the stories of Jesus. She asked for them to be told to her over and over again. She loved the stories and explained Jesus’ power by declaring that He is God. But as her family came to visit and her mother fasted and her father went to prayer times, she could not reconcile the outward “goodness” of family members who are Muslim with the gospel that Jesus is the only way. She couldn’t bear to believe that God would not overlook their unbelief in Jesus because of their devout sincerity. She was sure that God would see their “good lives”, forgive them, and grant them eternal life. She began saying her Muslim prayers more devoutly, counting them with beads, fasting twice a week, and was careful to dress modestly. She said, “It is just clear what is good and what is bad. You can feel it.”
Like many others, Halima believed the lie that we define the way to God – that good and evil are determined by how something feels to us.
How, then, can Christians be certain of eternal life? God himself declares that there is One Way to the Father – through Jesus the Son. Pray for humility and repentance.
When believers suffer for Christ’s sake, their families are often unsure how to pray. If we know that “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” is it right to pray for their release from prison? If God works powerfully even in prison, should we grieve and beg for our family to be reunited?
This passage reassures us that in our anguish, we may cry out to God in holiness, “If it is possible, take this cup from me.” At the same time we pray, “Not our will, God, but Yours be done.” God advances the gospel. God builds His church. We trust Him even when we cannot see.
Through tears, we cry honestly and desperately to God, trusting the perfect sovereignty of the One who hears and who loves.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts His people in all their affliction, so that they may comfort others with the same comfort they received from God. As believers in this land share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, may they also share in His comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
Pray for people in this place, like Paul, to testify in the midst of crushing hardship: “This was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9)
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.