Behind every set of Muslim eyes is a soul loved by God and in need of rescue, like these Berber children and women in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. (Photos by Michael Heitland and Brandy Fisher, Mission: Morocco 2013)
We’ve been looking at some of the basic beliefs and practices of the world’s second-largest religion this past week. (Click on the links at the bottom of this page for any days you may have missed.)
But Islam is much bigger than the belief in Allah, Muhammad, the Qur’an, and beyond. It’s also more than salat, zakat, the hajj and other religious duties. In addition to the beliefs and doctrines that guide the religion of Islam, it can just as easily operate as a political system, a specific world view or way of life, and even the bedrock of a particular culture or people.
Further still, Islam represents roughly 2 billion unique individual and precious souls – all of whom have been fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. Islam represents men, women and children, each having different stories to tell, various backgrounds they’ve lived and numerous experiences they’ve been shaped by.
Perhaps that seems obvious, but I think all too often we can so easily miss the obvious. This is especially true when we’re trying to define and witness within a belief system that millions upon millions of individuals are a part of.
As we continue to pray together over the coming weeks of Ramadan – or if God blesses us with the opportunity to share with a person who would identify themselves as a follower of Islam – we’d do well to keep the uniqueness of every Muslim in mind.
Some may be firm in their faith, while others may be questioning their faith right now. Some may appear to have it all together, while others may be struggling with deep hurts and emotional issues. Some may be hard, while others may be nearer to reaching out to Jesus than we could possibly know. So please, let’s pray and witness accordingly, always remembering the uniqueness of every life. And let’s also keep in mind the fact that God loves Muslims, Jesus died for Muslims, and the Holy Spirit is near Muslims.
The same God that reached out to us “while we were yet sinners” is reaching out to them as well. May you and I allow ourselves to be used to do just that – without any fear in our soul, without any judgment in our heart, and without any stereotypes in our mind.
Over the next week, Gary Fallesen will take the reins of C4C’s Project Prayer: Ramadan 2017. We’ll be learning about a number of the specific people and places in the Muslim world that God has blessed Climbing For Christ to reach out to. There are so many people, so many places, and so many stories – all uniquely representing a world of diversity within Islam.
With that in mind, please join us in prayer:
- Today, let’s pray for followers of Islam from various walks of life. Pray for the rich. Pray for the poor. Pray for the hardened. Pray for the hurting. Pray for the steadfast. Pray for the seeking. May our all-knowing God touch so many lives in the exact way that is needed to bring them to faith in Jesus.
- Pray for opportunities to witness to Muslims. Whether across the street or across the world, may the Lord show us how and to whom He would have us share with. May He remove all fear, all judgement, all stereotypes, and give us the boldness to open the door for relationship. May our hearts be open to listen, to ask and to share as He would lead us.