30 Ways for Muslims to Encounter Christ
Islam 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, let all new followers of Christ in BiH be filled with joy at knowing the intimacy of God, who calls us “beloved”.
Praying Scripture
“Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols!…For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:11, 13).
Repent on behalf of BiH. Pray that God would expose the worthlessness of their idols: workaholism, busyness, vanity, and addictions of all kinds (e.g. Instagram, social media, sports betting, pornography, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.).
Ask that God would powerfully break cycles of escape, acting out, and addiction. Pray for a divine return to the fountain of living water, who is Christ.
Praying for the Church
Christians aren’t perfect. Missionaries aren’t perfect. Sanctification is a process, and all of us are constantly on a journey in growing in Christ likeness. Fill the local churches with grace for one another, with hope that change and growth is possible, and a reassurance that their works aren’t what saves, but rather Christ’s gift of grace!
Liberty to the Captives
Each of us who comes to Christ must repent of and renounce every pact, promise, or identity we held before faith in Christ. Join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ from a Muslim background as they repent of their former identity as Muslims. This prayer is inspired by chapter 7 and 8 of Liberty to the Captives by Mark Durie
We are called to live in freedom. “It is for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
Pray for Christians from a Muslim background in BiH to stand firm in Christ and reject a yoke of slavery that is salvation through works.
Bosnian Insights
Many schools operate under a “two schools under one roof” paradigm, meaning Bosniak Muslim and Croatian Catholic students are prevented from learning together. Some schools even keep the two groups separated by a literal fence, insisting on protecting ethnic identities, linguistic nuances, and historical perspectives.
Fear is a motivating factor in the segregation. Politicians benefit from the tension, and those who remember genocidal acts during the Bosnian War insist on preserving their own cultures. Despite this, many of the youth are resisting, and trying to reunify the school system.
Pray for those in the community seeking reconciliation, that God would work in a powerful way to bring forgiveness and hope to all those who need it. Would God’s perfect love cast out fear, and help hurting communities to find healing!