Project Prayer: Ramadan 2021

30 days of breath prayers for the Muslim world

Day 1 (Monday, April 12): “God is love”

Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, begins at sunset today (Monday, April 12) and lasts for 30 days (until sunset on May 12). Fasting from sunrise to sundown each day is required of every able-bodied Muslim. “O ye who believe!” it says in Surah (or chapter) 2:183 of the Qur’an. “Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint …”

Muslims believe Ramadan is a time to come close to Allah, seek forgiveness for sins, and fulfill one of the requirements of their religion.

We use this spiritual time of year to lift those in the Muslim world to the God of the Bible, asking the Holy Spirit to enter their lives, and draw them to a soul-saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Here is our prayer: May those who do not know Him realize that Jesus is more than a prophet (as Muslims believe). May they recognize rightly that He is the Son of God.

Five times a day, during the call to prayer, Muslims hear this declaration: “God is great.” But for most Muslims worldwide, they have never heard “God is love.”

That is our breath prayer for Muslims today: God is love.

Breath prayer is something Christians have done since the sixth century. It is a practice of breathing a short prayer to help us abide in Christ (John 15:5). It is a way to have all-day communion with Jesus.

Climbing For Christ seeks to abide so we can fulfill God’s will. We are going to apply this practice of breathing a prayer to our 11^th annual Project Prayer: Ramadan. Each day we will offer a simple prayer, based on Scripture, that we ask you would whisper throughout the day with a Muslim person, people group, nation, or the entire Islamic world in mind. Pray on!

The Word

“This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” – 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Day 2 (Tuesday, April 13): “Lord, have mercy”

The first 10 days of Ramadan are called the “First Ashra.” Ashra means “10” in Arabic. Ramadan is broken into three parts: days of mercy, days of forgiveness, and days to seek refuge from hell.

During these days, Muslims repeat duas. A dua is an act of supplication; a calling out to god. During the first ashra, the dua is: “O! My Lord forgive and have mercy and you are the best of merciful.”

Muslims are instructed to be merciful to others: to give charity, control their tempers, and help whenever and wherever they can. They claim Allah loves the act of giving to charity most and he is thought to help those who help others.

Our breath prayer today: Lord, have mercy.

We continue to pray that our Muslim friends would recognize the real merciful God, the One who sent His Son to pay for our sins. We deserve God’s judgement, but He shows us grace. We can’t earn that grace; it is a gift from Him.

The Word

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:36 (NIV)

Day 3 (Wednesday, April 14): “Give them our daily bread”

Breaking bread and the day’s fast at dinner with a Kurdish family in Turkey during Ramadan. Day 3 of Ramadan begins at sunset today. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

Those observing Ramadan eat a pre-fast meal before sunrise called the suhur. They then begin the first of the five daily prayers (the Salat) with the Fajr (or dawn) prayer. Muslims eat again —usually with zeal — after sunset. This fast-breaking meal is called the iftar.

This daily fasting is a time to cleanse the body and soul, to pray more earnestly, to read the Qur’an, and to reflect on God.

Our breath prayer: Give them our daily bread.

We ask that Muslims everywhere would receive the Bread of Life, who is Jesus Christ.

The Word

“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” – John 6:35 (NLT)

Day 4 (Thursday, April 15): “We hunger for You, Jesus”

The act of experiencing hunger and thirst during the day is intended to make a person more aware of the poor and the suffering, thus encouraging generosity and compulsory charity.

Zakat, another pillar of Islam, is the required giving to charity. This is a way for Muslims to purify their wealth. During Ramadan, all good deeds are rewarded more than in any other month of the year. That’s why many people choose to perform zakat during this time.

Our breath prayer today: We hunger for You, Jesus.

May Muslims everywhere recognize the greatest gift was given by the God of the Bible when He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins.

The Word

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’” – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)

Day 5 (Friday, April 16): “There is only one God”

The shahada (or “testimony”) is the foundational doctrine of Islam. Simply reciting it is the first of the five pillars of the religion.

This phrase — “there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet” — is held in such regard that it is whispered into the ears of newborns as the first words they hear after being born and spoken by dying Muslims as the very last words they utter on earth. It is even incorporated on national flags, in art, and architecture throughout the Muslim world.

Our breath prayer today: There is only one God.

We pray that Muslims recognize there are no other gods but the God of the Bible.

The Word

“And this is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” – John 17:3 (NLT)

Day 6 (Saturday, April 17): “The Lord is our Shepherd”

Talking to a shepherd about his sheep on the slopes of Mount Ararat. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

Climbing For Christ’s Mission: Ararat 2014 team was descending from Base Camp toward one of the many camps of semi-nomadic Kurdish families on the mountain when we stopped to talk to a shepherd. How many sheep did he have? “Two-hundred and eighty,” we were told. If he lost one would he know it? “Yes.” Would he go and look after the lost one? “Oh, yes.”

Our breath prayer today: The Lord is our Shepherd.

We use the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15) to share how much Jesus loves Muslims, and how all of heaven rejoices when one repents and becomes a Muslim background believer.

The Word

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me” – John 10:14 (NLT)

Day 7 (Sunday, April 18): “We are children of God”

Approaching a military checkpoint outside a village in eastern Turkey during Mission: Ararat 2020. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

In many Islamic countries, your nationality is connected to your religion. For instance, in Turkey, they will say: “To be Turkish is to be Muslim.”

Our Kingdom worker (a Muslim background believer) was stopped by the jandarma (military police) and his vehicle was searched. They discovered his Bible. “Why do you have a Bible in your car?” the officer asked. Our co-worker’s daughter spoke up and said she was interested in reading it. The officer smiled and asked, “Do you read the Qur’an?” She answered, “Well, we are in a Muslim country; we learn in school so l don’t need to read the Qur’an.” The officer looked at our worker and said, “Teach your daughter to learn the Qur’an!” He said, “I can’t read Arabic.” He said, “Learn. You are living in a Muslim country.”

Our breath prayer today: We are children of God.

We pray that Muslims would overcome Islamic nationalism and find their true identity in Jesus.

The Word

“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” – Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)

Day 8 (Monday, April 19): “Jesus is coming!”

Muslim’s believe Jesus will return. The Qur’an states: “And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): Therefore have no doubt about the (Hour) but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way” (Surah 43:61).

The Qur’an declares Jesus will come to defeat the Anti-Christ, destroy false doctrines, and prepare the way for what they consider “the universal acceptance of Islam.”

“Even the Qur’an says Jesus is coming!” a Muslim background believer from Bangladesh is quote by Todd Nettleton in his Voice of the Martyrs book, When Faith Is Forbidden. “It says He’ll lead the last Friday prayers. They know! This is the teaching of Islam!”

Our breath prayer today: “Jesus is coming!”

The Bible says the dead will rise when Jesus returns. May He wake up the dead in the Muslim world before His return and judgment of all the nations of the world.

The Word

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NLT)

Day 9 (Tuesday, April 20): “Dreams and visions,” Part 1

By Elaine Fallesen, Women’s and Family Ministry, Climbing For Christ

Elaine with Taner and his mother in eastern Turkey in July 2020. Taner is a Kurdish man Elaine has prayed for since first meeting on Mission: Ararat 2014. He is being discipled by our Kingdom worker in Turkey. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

Let’s cut to the chase – want to know the BEST way to pray for our Muslim friends and family to come to Christ? Ask Jesus to appear to them in a dream or a vision.

I am convinced of this since reading Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World. Praying for hearts to be softened and ears to be opened to the Truth is not a bad way to pray. But man, if you want to see jaw-dropping action, get specific and ask Jesus to speak to them in person. He does it all the time throughout the Muslim world – using dreams and visions as His preferred tools of the trade. CLICK HERE to read the rest of my story, “Asking Jesus to appear to Muslims in dreams and visions.”

Our breath prayer today: “Dream dreams and see visions.”

We thank Jesus for his visitations to those who will become Muslim background believers. We know that He uses dreams and visions to communicate even with His followers. May we all be aware of His presence.

The Word

“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.’” 

Day 10 (Wednesday, April 21): “Dreams and visions,” Part 2

Praying that blindness to God will be taken away. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)

The Kurdish blind man, whom we were visiting for the third straight year, knew we were coming. He had a dream about it. In the dream, I knocked on his door and held photos in my hand. And there we were, in eastern Turkey, with photos of his family from the previous year in hand.

We told him Jesus had sent us. He said he knew that. We also told him we believed he would have more dreams about Jesus. He said he understood, and he asked us to pray for him.

Our breath prayer today: “May the blind see.”

We pray for dreams about Christ for Muslim people everywhere, and through these dreams may they realize Jesus is the one true God. May dreams become a reality.

The Word

“He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.” – Job 33:15 (NLT)

Day 11 (Thursday, April 22): “Father, forgive them”

The second 10 days of Ramadan are called the “Second Ashra.” These are the days of forgiveness.

During the second ashra, the dua (or prayer) of Muslims is: “I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, from every sin I committed.”

Allah is said to be most forgiving during the middle of Ramadan. But he forgives only those who prostrate in front of him with an “ashamed spirit,” pledging never to do it again (repenting). At the same time, they are supposed to forgive others of their deliberate mistakes.

Our breath prayer today: Father, forgive them.

We ask for repentance for failing to recognize Jesus is not only our Savior, but the Lord of our lives.

The Word

“Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." – Luke 11:4 (NIV)

Day 12 (Friday, April 23): “Jesus loves you, and so do I”

Turkey’s president went on national TV at the start of Ramadan to tell how curfews would be extended in his country during the Muslim holy month because of a sharp increase in COVID-19. But that wasn’t his only message.

“He was saying there is Islamophobia in the West,” our Kingdom worker in Turkey said. “He was saying that Muslim people have to wake up and come together.”

Islamophobia is a thing among some people, but it shouldn’t be among Christians. This is how each of us should view Muslims: I.S.L.A.M. That acronym spells I Sincerely Love All Muslims.

Our breath prayer today: “Jesus loves you, and so do I.”

May our Muslim neighbors see that we love them as we love ourselves. May they be attracted to our Lord, Jesus Christ, who surrendered His perfect, sinless life on their behalf because God so loves this world.

The Word

“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” – 1 John 4:8 (NLT)

Day 13 (Saturday, April 24): “Give them a new heart”

Meeting a radical Muslim in the rice fields in West Java on our first expedition to Indonesia. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

A newlywed couple in their mid-20s strapped bombs to their bodies and detonated them near the entrance to the Cathedral Church in Makassar, South Sulawesi on Palm Sunday, killing themselves and injuring at least 20 churchgoers and bystanders.

Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation in the world, is on high alert. There is a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory there.

Recent terror attacks along with the arrest of nearly 100 terror suspects are evidence that terrorism remains a concern. Ramadan presents the opportunity of “religious rewards” for radicalized Muslims to attack “infidels.”

Our breath prayer today: “Give them a new heart.”

Our C4C Indonesia leader asks that we pray against radicalism and terrorism there. May those radical followers of Islam be turned into Muslim background believers. Holy Spirit, give them new hearts.

The Word

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” – Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)

Day 14 (Sunday, April 25): “Drink of Living Water”

A few of the many minarets on the island of 1,000 mosques. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)

Lombok is known as the “island of a thousand mosques.” It is a minaret haven. The center of an Islamic tourism campaign in Indonesia. And a place where six churches were closed this month by the intolerant local government.

The Sasak people who inhabit the island, home to Mount Rinjani, are 99.99 percent Muslim. The other 0.01 percent (roughly 300-400 people) are Christian. The Sasak are considered a frontier people group because it is almost entirely unreached.

Climbing For Christ first went there in 2012 and again in 2017. Our C4C Indonesia leader has purchased land and continues to do outreach on the island.

Our breath prayer today: “Drink of Living Water.”

May a fresh wind blow on the island of Lombok and the Sasak people feel not only tolerance for the church there but a desire to join the Church.

The Word

“…those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” – John 4:14 (NLT)

Day 15 (Monday, April 26): “We are one in the Spirit”

Indonesia’s national motto is “Unity in Diversity.” Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are legal religions with Muslims making up more than 82 percent of the population and Christians constituting 12.7 percent (but only 3.1 percent are evangelicals, including the many Climbing For Christ members living in that country).

However, the diversity of what Indonesians believe is not uniting them. Christians are under intense pressure in the world’s largest Muslim nation.

Our breath prayer today: “We are one in the Spirit.”

May those in the Muslim world come to recognize true unity, as found in Ephesians 4:4-6: One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. The God of the Bible!

The Word

“For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” – Ephesians 4:4 (NLT)

Day 16 (Tuesday, April 27): “You really will be free”

Brick factory children receiving gifts from ministry partner Save Pakistan last week.

Cher (yes, pop music diva Cher) was applauded for freeing an elephant from captivity in Pakistan. But what about the tens of thousands of children in captivity in Pakistan?!

Several animal organizations paid an estimated quarter-million dollars just to fly the elephant to Cambodia (never mind all the other costs). That airfare alone would free hundreds of children from slavery in brick factories because of the debts of their parents and their parents’ parents.

Many of those children are Christians who are abused by their Muslim “owners.”

Our breath prayer today: “You really will be free.”

Father, forgive us for placing more value on an animal than on people who were created by You in Your image. May those in captivity in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan be set free.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Climbing For Christ’s Project 8:36.

The Word

“So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” – John 8:36 (NASB)

Day 17 (Wednesday, April 28): “Open the eyes of their hearts, Lord”

Sana, an 11-year-old girl abused in a brick factory, who Climbing For Christ freed in 2020.

We hear testimonies like this too often: “She had tears in her eyes and told us there is no life (as a brick-factory slave in Pakistan). There is only persecution and dust. There is no humanity valued; they (factory owners) value only bricks and sexual (abuse).”

When I asked ministry partner Haseeb Masih of Save Pakistan how we could be praying for Muslims in his country during Ramadan, he said: “Pray for the Christian girls who are suffering and persecuted (and) that God make soft hearts of Muslims to (make) equal the minorities in Pakistan.”

“Christians are considered second-class citizens, inferior to Muslims,” Open Doors ministry stated in ranking Pakistan the fifth-hardest country in the world for Christ followers, who often work the most menial jobs or are victims of slavery.

The International Christian Concern (ICC) has cited a study estimating 1,000 Christian and Hindu women – many of them minors – are abducted, forced into marriage, and forced to convert to Islam every year. “Sexual assaults and fraudulent marriages are used by perpetrators to entrap victims and authorities are often complicit,” the ICC reported.

Our breath prayer today: “Open the eyes of their hearts, Lord.”

May Muslims in Pakistan – and elsewhere – see Christians not as inferior but as a people they would like to be. Open their eyes to You, Lord!

The Word

“Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.” – Psalm 82:4 (NLT)

Day 18 (Thursday, April 29): “May they hear about Jesus”

More Muslims are coming to Christ than ever before, but conversions are not keeping pace with population growth. Too few resources are being used to reach the Muslim world.

David Platt’s Secret Church states that churches spend about 99 percent of mission resources among those already reached by the Gospel. That means, churches are spending one percent on unreached people.

Pew Research Center estimates that by 2050 the Muslim population will nearly equal the Christian population in the world.

Our breath prayer today: “May they hear about Jesus.”

Father forgive us for not spending more of Your provision to do what Your Son, Jesus commanded in the Great Commission. May we be better stewards who are more focused on reaching the lost, especially in the Muslim world.

The Word

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17 (ESV)

Day 19 (Friday, April 30): “This is the day the Lord has made”

Today is a holy day for Muslims. Adherents of Islam are called to pray five times a day every day. But on Friday, the Jumu’ah, they come together at mid-day to enhance the Islamic brotherhood.

“O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of God, and leave off business (and traffic): that is best for you if ye but knew!” it says in the Qur’an, Surah 62:9.

Islamic scholars claim “the best day the sun rises over is Friday,” and that Allah created Adam on this day, saying “he was made to enter paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Last Hour will take place on no other day than Friday.”

Our breath prayer today: “This is the day the Lord has made.”

Father, we thank you for this day and for every breath You bless us with today and every day. May we use the time You have given us to glorify Your name. May we pray on behalf of Muslims even as they are gathering to pray to their god. Make Your name known among the Muslim nations.

The Word

“This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

Day 20 (Saturday, May 1): “Rest in the Lord”

A Muslim background believer in Morocco. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

“The soul cannot rest, until it finds its rest in Thee.” – Saint Augustine

Augustine is counted among the great leaders of the early Church in North Africa – along with Tertullian, Cyprian, and the martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas. Christianity was the faith of the day until Islam’s invasion in the seventh century. Within 500 years, the Church was nearly extinct.

But God preserved a remnant.

Today, from Mauritania to Morocco to Algeria to Tunisia to Libya, the population is 99 percent Muslim. But believers are being raised up among the Berber people. They are returning to the faith of their “fathers” – Augustine, Tertullian, and Cyprian.

Our breath prayer today: “Rest in the Lord.”

Pray for emerging movements in North Africa. May Muslim background believers, particularly those we encountered in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, share their faith with family members and raise their children as believers despite strong opposition in their communities.

The Word

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.” – Psalm 4:8 (NLT)

Day 21 (Sunday, May 2): “Give ’em heaven!”

The final 10 days of Ramadan are called the “Third Ashra.” These are the days in which Muslims seek refuge from hell. They are the most important of days, including the mother of all days – Lailat-tul-Qadar (the Night of Power).

During the third ashra, the dua is: “O Allah! Save me from the hell’s fire.”

Our breath prayer today: Give ’em heaven!

May Muslims recognize that Jesus went to the cross and was crucified, died and descended into hell, and then rose again so they would not have to experience the separation from God that is hell.

The Word

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 (NLT)

Day 22 (Monday, May 3): “Do for the least of these”

A child in a brick factory in Pakistan receives a gift from Save Pakistan ministries.

Desperation drives people to do horrible things to survive. It also offers an opportunity for man’s inhumanity to man to be elevated to nightmarish heights.

In Pakistan, a 98.6-percent Muslim country, where the holiest month of the year (and these holiest of 10 days of Ramadan) is being celebrated, you would think helping the destitute would be a priority. Instead, our ministry partner there told us, “non-Christians are taking advantage of our Christian community to (put them in) bondage as slaves for small amounts (of money). During the COVID-19 (pandemic) many new children (are becoming) slaves for only $500 to $600. We have a couple who are going to sell their baby to clear their bills, (and pay for) rent and food.”

It gets worse, even darker, as “the rich (Muslim) people are taking advantage of the young Christian girls sexually for just a little money,” our co-worker said.

Zakat (or “almsgiving”) is one of the five pillars of Islam. Giving is mandatory in some Muslim countries, including Pakistan. According to Islamic doctrine, Muslims are instructed to give at least 2.5 percent of their income to “orphans … the needy … the wayfarer … those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves,” according to the Qur’an Surah 2:177, “and practice regular charity.”

Our breath prayer today: “Do for the least of these.”

Father, You are our Provider and Sustainer. We ask that Muslims would be moved by their own teachings to help those in need – including Christians in Pakistan who are hurting. We ask that You use our example of giving to the least of these to introduce Jesus to Muslim friends and neighbors.

The Word

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.’” – Matthew 25:40 (NLT)

Day 23 (Tuesday, May 4): “Be strong and courageous”

Afghanistan. Pakistan. Northern and western India. This is western South Asia, home to very rugged and very remote mountains, and many unreached tribal peoples. Among the largest Muslim people groups in this region containing more than 325 million lost souls are the Punjabi, Pashtun, Sindhi, Hazara, Tajik, Kashmiri, and Gujarti.

Extremes (in climate and poverty) and extremism (jihadists) occur here. It takes courage for Christians to GO here and greater courage for those living here to follow Jesus. These are some of the most dangerous places to be a believer – Afghanistan is No. 2 on the 2021 World Watch List, Pakistan is No. 5, and India is No. 10.

CLICK HERE to watch a Prayercast video about this region. (Note: You will be leaving our Web site.)

Our breath prayer today: “Be strong and courageous.”

We ask God to open the doors for the Gospel in the mountains of western South Asia. We also ask for boldness for believers to pay the price and proclaim faith in Jesus.

The Word

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

Day 24 (Wednesday, May 5): “That the nations may know Him”

Dick Brogden writes in Missionary God, Missionary Bible: “The first missionary act is to believe that the dead will rise.” He is speaking about the rattling of dry bones in Ezekiel 37 and spinning it forward to places that were home to the Church and now are the cradle of Islam.

“The missionary heart never stops believing that God can breathe new life into dry bones,” Brogden wrote. “The God who can make dry bones live can certainly unite all the peoples of earth under His magnificent rule. There will be one Shepherd over us all.”

Our breath prayer today: “That the nations may know Him.”

Father, we believe all nations will know You are God. We believe You will bring the dry bones of lost and the resistant peoples to life in Your Spirit. Help us with our unbelief.

The Word

“Then all the nations will know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 38:16 (NLT)

Day 25 (Thursday, May 6): “Overcome the darkness”

I looked out the jet window in wonder. For as far as I could see … mountains. We were flying over Afghanistan. It brought me to my knees.

War is a way of life there. Tribal war. The Soviet-Afghan War. Afghan civil war. The United States invasion 20 years ago. Unrelenting violence. Even now, as the U.S. prepares to finish withdrawing troops by 9-11, the Taliban is again on the offensive.

Paul wrote in his letter to Ephesus, “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

The war in Afghanistan is a spiritual one.

Only a handful of the nearly 39 million hell-bound souls in Afghanistan have heard the Gospel. The only place considered worse on the planet is North Korea. CLICK HERE to watch the Prayercast video on Afghanistan. (Note: You will be leaving our Web site.)

Our breath prayer today: “Overcome the darkness.”

Father, may the mountains cry out Your name. There seems little other way for lost Afghans to be found. The workers there are truly few. Father, who will GO? Who will sow? How will You reap a harvest there?

The Word

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” – John 1:5 (NLT)

Day 26 (Friday, May 7): “Jesus, have Your way”

Turkish soldiers on the Iranian border. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

We’ve stood several times in eastern Turkey on the border of Iran, peering into the land of Persia. The Elamites, descendants of Noah’s son Shem, first settled in the area. Only a few kilometers from the border, a stone’s throw from Mount Ararat, is an ark-size imprint in the ground that the museum curator there claims is where Noah’s ark came to rest.

History abounds in this desolate region, including a dark last 40 years of Islamic rule. Iran is ranked eighth on the 2021 World Watch List. But the Son also rises there. Iran is now considered the fastest-growing Church in the world. More have come to faith in Jesus in the last 20 years than the previous 1,300. Praise the Lord!

Our breath prayer today: “Jesus, have Your way.”

Pray for continued growth in the Church in Iran. May believers overcome oppression by a brutal theocratic government. We ask for courage for those converting to Christianity who are declared apostate and could face death.

The Word

“But for 21 days the spirit of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.” – Daniel 10:13 (NLT)

Day 27 (Saturday, May 8): “Show them Your power”

Tonight is the holiest night of the year for Muslims. It is Laylat al-Qadr, the “Night of Power.” It commemorates the night that the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad.

The Qur’an states: “The Night of Power is better than a thousand Months” (Surah 97:3). All five verses of Surah 97 are devoted to this night.

The Hadith, a holy book that is a collection of sayings and teachings of Muhammad, declares: “Whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and seeking reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.”

Muslims regard this night as a night of mercy, peace, guidance, and blessing. It is also a night of expectation.

Our breath prayer today: “Show them Your power.”

Pray for Muslims who are seeking revelation to have Jesus revealed to them. We continue to pray for dreams and visions. But we also pray that Christians are put in the paths of Muslims to tell them about Christ.

The Word

“Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.” – Psalm 68:28 (NLT)

Day 28 (Sunday, May 9): “Take heart, Muslim daughter”

By Elaine Fallesen, Women’s and Family Ministry, Climbing For Christ

A Kurdish girl – with her mother and brother listening – is taught about Jesus by Elaine in eastern Turkey. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms reading today’s breath prayer! This one’s especially for you.

In her study book Jesus and Women, author Kristi McLelland takes us on a discovery of Jesus’ heart for women in His first-century world, revealing the cultural significance of His interactions with women in the Gospels through Middle Eastern eyes.

McLelland describes how the women of Jesus’ day lived on the fringe – already second-class by gender and denigrated to a place of shame and dishonor in society. Millions of Muslim women today live in like circumstances. But just as He did then, Jesus today lifts women up and out of all that, bringing justice and righteousness to restore their honor and respect. He says lovingly, “Take heart, daughter.”

Jesus is for all women. Muslim mothers, sisters, and daughters need to hear these words of hope. Won’t you help one Muslim female reach out and touch Jesus’ cloak of salvation?

Our breath prayer today: “Take heart, Muslim daughter.”

Father, may we help Muslim women to gain access to Your Word. Use us to lead them to discover Your extraordinary, sacrificial love and desire for them to be saved.

The Word

“Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.” – Matthew 9:22 (NIV)

Day 29 (Monday, May 10): Kurds and the Way

There are more than 39 million Kurds who are nearly 100-percent unreached and predominantly Muslim, if only nominally and according to family tradition. It is the largest people group in the world without a country to call its own.

An autonomous territory was established in northern Iraq following the Gulf War of 1991, but dreams of a single, sovereign Kurdistan have faded. The people’s hope now is only for an end to the cycle of disappointment, violence, and arrests – particularly in Erdogan’s Turkey, where Kurdish politicians, journalists, and activists tend to be jailed with no need for proof of wrongdoing.

We were with Kurds in eastern Turkey in 2015 when the Peoples’ Democratic Party, the strongest democratic Kurdish voice, won its first seats in parliament and kept Erdogan’s party from becoming the ruling majority. In northern Syria, Kurds helped the U.S. defeat ISIS, gaining support for possible self-rule. It was hailed as the “Kurdish spring.” But a winter kill almost immediately followed and those victories have been trampled by governments unwilling to lose power or territory.

Our breath prayer today: “This is not our home.”

Father, use us in places like eastern Turkey to reach more Kurdish people with the Good News of Jesus. This is about love, not politics. Allow us to show them there is power in the blood of Jesus. Man may draw lines on maps, but there is no border restricting believers from entering heaven.

The Word

“But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland.” – Hebrews 11:16a (NLT)

Day 30 (Tuesday, May 11): Eid al-Fitr

The Eid al-Fitr (“Festival of Breaking the Fast”) marks the end of the month-long sunrise-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Thank you for praying for the Muslim world through this, our 11^th annual 30-day prayer project. Ramadan is nearly over for another lunar year, but it shouldn’t be the end of our prayers for those we know or even those who will be complete strangers on this side of heaven.

Please continue to PRAY for Muslims. Many Muslim-background believers (MBBs) credit the prayers of people like you for the dreams and visions of Christ that they experienced. Please GIVE to support outreach among Muslim people groups, many of whom are unreached by the Gospel. Please GO to Muslims – near and far. As it says in Romans 10:14, “how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”

Our breath prayer today: “Invite them to Your feast.”

Father, we pray that during these 30 days, You have touched the hearts of many lost in the Muslim world. Use us to reach them. Open ears, soften hearts, and deliver them to Yourself. Holy Spirit, move in the Muslim world. Make more and more Muslim background believers each and every day. To the glory of God and in the precious name of Jesus. Amen!

The Word

“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” – Revelation 19:9a (NLT) 

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