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 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.
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”
“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
God uses simple, ordinary things that everyone understands – seeds, soil, and planting – to communicate deep truths about His Kingdom.
Human hearts are affected by internal and external factors — persecution, the cares of the world, greed, concern over what people think, to name just a few.
Faten was a busy, divorced mother of four young adult and teenaged children. When her teenage daughter began to be curious about Christianity, Faten was open-minded to this interest and not stressed. Over time, her daughter’s interest decreased, but Faten herself continued to pursue an understanding of Jesus.
As time passed, when she had opportunities to listen to the Bible, she would begin to fall asleep even while sitting upright – though she had once been alert and engaged. She liked what she heard about Jesus, but the concerns of the world and spiritual oppression she experienced as she tried to move towards the Light weighed heavily on her and dulled her interest.
Father, we don’t understand all of Faten’s story, but You do. We trust that her story is not finished. For every Muslim seeker in this land, by Your grace, please continue their story. May they be good soil that bears fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
As Christians live among this people day by day, grow their conviction that the Kingdom of heaven is a treasure and a pearl of great price, worth giving up everything to attain.
Father, we pray according to Philippians 3:8-14 that you would raise up men and women from this land who can say, “Whatever gain I had, I count it as loss for the sake of Christ.” May they count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus their Lord.
For His sake would they be able to say they’ve suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that they may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of their own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
We pray that the people of this land would know Christ and the power of His resurrection, share in His sufferings, become like Him in His death, and by any means possible attain the resurrection from the dead.
May God raise up people in this place who would press on to make this their own, because Christ Jesus has made them His own. May they be able to say they forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.