In Islam God has 99 namesâsuch as All-Merciful, The Beneficent, The Source of Peaceâbut none of those names is Love. Father God, who reveals yourself as the God of Love throughout the Bible, please reveal yourself to Muslims in Senegal with your true nature.
— Georges Houssney, Engaging IslamWhile Christians celebrate Godâs attributes reflecting his relational nature, Muslims utter his names by rote. Christians are instructed to not utter Godâs name in vain, Muslims are pressured to repeat his name constantly and many resort to prayer beads to help them do so throughout the day. Islam and Christianity both acknowledge Godâs transcendence, omnipotence, and majestic qualities. Yet the Muslim concept of God lacks the most distinctive qualities of his immanence, his fatherhood, his love, and his active involvement in our daily lives. While we as Christians âapproach the throne of grace with confidence,â a Muslim comes with fear and trembling.
To sustain movement, groups and leaders need the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. As we practice the New Testamentâs âone anotherâ passages, these bonds grow. Without this grace, a disciple making movement simply will not happen.
âDonât just pretend to love others. Really love themâŚ
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each otherâŚ
When Godâs people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitalityâŚ
Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other.â
â Selections from Romans 12:9-18
We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. As we pray for a gospel movement in Senegal, let us pray that the Lord would sanctify our love.
âRemain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Fatherâs commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!â
â John 15:9b-11
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.
Thank the Lord for the love he has given you for the people of Senegal as you prayed for them to encounter Christ this Ramadan. Pray for him to complete the good work he has begun in Senegal. Take time to pray about the next steps God would have you take on behalf of the people of Senegal.
ReadMuslims are encouraged to think about the poor during the month of Ramadan, to sympathize with them, and to make donations. Jesus loved the poor and said, âBlessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of Godâ (Luke 6:20). Pray for Muslims in Senegal to encounter this radical teaching and to wrestle with his command to not just donate to the poor, but to know that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor.
ReadLast night many Muslims celebrated the âNight of Powerâ hoping that God would show up miraculously to change their circumstances (health, financial, relational, etc.). We continue to pray that they would encounter Jesus who already miraculously âshowed upâ as the Word who became flesh to change their current realities and eternity through his life, death, and resurrection.
ReadOn or around the 27th night of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the âNight of Powerâ as a special time that their prayers and good deeds count for more. They believe their chance of getting their prayers answered and miracles done are increased on this night. Pray for multitudes of Muslims from Senegal to encounter Jesus tonight in a dream or vision.
ReadIslam calls Jesus the âWord of Godâ but strongly denies that he is God. Pray for Muslims in Senegal to meditate on the thought that Jesus is the âWord of Godâ. John 1 illustrates the beautiful reality that, âthe Word was with God, and the Word was God.â Pray for their hearts to be softened when they hear Godâs Word.
ReadMuslims (and all people, really) care deeply about their outward appearance or reputation in the community. But Jesus cares about the personâs heart. Religion can change outward behavior but canât change inward attitudesâonly the Spirit of God can do that. Pray for the people of Senegal to be convicted about their need for a clean heart.
ReadIn many parts of the Muslim world, Islam is passed down more through tradition, family, and society than in formal education. Prayer, fasting, and going on the Hajj are mostly done in a communal context. Today we pray in faith for our brothers and sisters in Senegal to find community and family in your Church. We pray they would have a vision for sharing what they are learning about Christ in their communities, families, and networks.
ReadIslam teaches that God is unknowable and as a result many feel like God is distant. We know the truth is that God Almighty wants an intimate relationship with his followers because he is a good Father who knows the hairs on our head (Luke 12:7). Lord, awake in Muslims the desire to be in relationship with you and know the joy of intimacy with the God who calls his children âbeloved.â
ReadThe month of Ramadan is known as âthe month of repentance.â So, as we pray for a gospel movement to transform this nation, let us cry out for Godâs Kingdom to come, for a spirit of repentance to fall on the peoples living in Senegal, whether Muslims or Christians from a Muslim background, rich or poor, young or old, male or female.
ReadToday many Christians celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Muslims deny this fact. âAnd if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sinsâ (1 Corinthians 15:17). Pray for Muslims in Senegal to be convicted of the reality that they are still in their sins and that only God himself can provide a solution for that â the cross of Christ.
ReadMuslims deny that Jesus died on the cross and instead believe he ascended to heaven without dying. This belief denies the act of atonement foundational to our faith as Christians. As many Christians around the world enter into a time celebrating Christâs death, burial, and resurrection, pray for Muslims in Senegal to have the eyes of their heart opened to consider the necessity of Jesusâ death and resurrection.
ReadIslam teaches that deception under certain circumstances is acceptable, and the effects of this teaching breed mistrustâof God and of others. But the Bible tells us âDo not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creatorâ (Colossians 3:9-10). Pray for people in Senegal to be people who pursue truth and feel conviction about deceiving others.
ReadZakat, one of the five pillars of Islam, requires Muslims to donate a set percentage of their wealth each year to Muslim charities. The New Testament teaches Christians to give generously from the heart as opposed to a set percentage. Pray for the people of Senegal to be challenged by the contrast between a religious rule and a heart posture and to want to understand more about the ânew heartâ that the Bible teaches about (Ezekiel 36:26).
ReadMuslims and Christians use the same Arabic word for âfastingâ. And, similar to what we learned yesterday about prayer, the meanings are fundamentally different. Muslim fasting is rigidly defined as no food, water, sex, or smoking from dawn to dusk. Christian fasting takes on many more forms. Muslim fasting is broadly promoted in Muslim countries during Ramadan. Jesus taught, âBut when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secretâŚ.â (Matthew 6:16-18).Â
ReadMuslims and Christians often use the same Arabic word for âprayer.â The meanings of that word, however, could not be more different. Islamic salat prayer describes the memorized recitations that Muslims must speak and the motions they must go through five times a day. Christian prayer is meant to be a two-directional conversation with God where we humbly approach the throne of grace with confidence to present requests and praise, listen to God, and are thus transformed.Â
ReadMuslims believe that the Quran is the perfect and final revelation of God. Christians believe that Jesus is. âHe is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his natureâŚâ (Hebrews 1:1-4). Pray for Muslims in Senegal to read the Gospels and see the contrast between the exact representation of Godâs nature we see in Christ and what the Quran teaches.
ReadThe Islamic doctrine of abrogation means that some verses in the Quran can be âcanceled outâ by later verses. This is contrary to the unchanging nature of God in the Bible. Today we pray for people in Senegal to see the unchanging nature of God, that it is impossible for him to lie, and to make him the anchor for their souls.
ReadThere is a hadith (teaching) in Islam that says, âBe good to your mother, Paradise is under her feet.â This positive teaching is often negatively used to prevent Muslims from questioning or rejecting the religion of their parents. Today, we pray for Muslims in Senegal to have courage from God to honor their parents, but not blindly follow their religion and to instead pursue Truth.
ReadThe primary way Islam is growing globally is through birth rate. The primary way Christianity is growing globally is through movements of the Gospel. Jesus said âlet the little children come to me.â David, though just a young man and not a soldier, was used by God to vanquish Goliath. The Lord called Samuel when he was just a boy. The list of children and young people with great faith in the Bible is long!
ReadWhile there are many teachings in Islam that advocate the use of the sword (violence) to advance their religion, we thank God this is not the worldview of those in Senegal! Senegalese have a deep commitment to peace, and Senegal has a long history of (surface level) religious tolerance and of a small Catholic minority coexisting with the Muslim majority. More than this, Senegal, while well over 90% Muslim, is a country with religious freedom. Praise God for this open door for the gospel, and pray that many would be saved!
ReadMany Muslims when faced with difficult questions about their religion fall back on the claim that God is unknowable. In Christianity, though we cannot fathom the fullness of who God is, we do believe that God revealed himself to us in Christ and wants to be known by us. Today we pray for Muslims in Senegal to encounter God by knowing Christ.
ReadIslam allows for marrying up to four wives, and having at least two wives is very common in Senegal. It is not what women would prefer, but it is viewed as "just the way things are." Let us pray that women and men would see that they are equal before God, created and valued by him, and his image bearers.
ReadIslam teaches that women cannot fast or pray when they are menstruating. We thank God that this is not a reality for us in Christ. Pray for women in Senegal today who cannot fast because they are menstruating and will have to make up this day of fasting later in the year by themselves. Pray for their hearts to be softened to a God who welcomes them into his presence any day of the year because of Christâs blood on the cross.
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