The half-million Bahrainis are descended from a mixture of indigenous peoples and settlers from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Some tensions exist between the poorer Shia Islamic majority, and the politically-dominant Sunni minority, and between the Arab and Persian background inhabitants.
Hans (not his real name) is a Christian and successful business man in Bahrain. He wants to stay but would also love to live somewhere he, his wife and young son could freely worship Jesus without harassment from relatives. For now he has chosen to stay since the government presently demonstrates a good level of tolerance towards believers. It is unclear how long these freedoms will last.
Prayer Starters:
- Bahraini believers like Hans need daily courage as they follow the Lord, in the face of family and community hostility. Pray for those like him.
- Bahrainis sometimes have opportunities to hear the Gospel through foreign believers and to see their example, but these opportunities need to be multiplied by at least a thousand! Pray for the opening of minds and hearts (Luke 24:32 and Acts 16:14).
- Poorer foreign workers need support and justice; and Bahrainis need courage to address the sins and injustices of their own society.
Additional Prayer Fuel for Today
Praying for Muslims: God’s Character
Muslims believe in the uniqueness of an all powerful and supreme Allah. Muslims believe that Allah is creative and eternal. Muslims also believe that Allah is unknowable and that it is impossible to ever really know him or have a relationship with him as a personal saviour. According to Islam, Allah holds himself apart from mankind. When praying for Muslims, pray that they will have a full revelation of the true God and His loving character. (Matthew 16:16)
Praying for Muslims: Against Fear
The Muslim worldview is strongly influenced by an awareness of the supernatural and the presence of good and evil spirits known as jinn. Jinn are greatly feared and are often thought to be responsible for illnesses and misfortune. Superstitions control many aspects of a Muslim’s everyday life and often result in them living in constant fear. This fear reveals a heart cry and desperate need that can only be met in the person and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray against the fear that influences many Muslims. (1 John 4:18)
Praying for Muslims: The Relationship with God
Galatians 4:22-25 tells us that Ishmael was born as a result of works resulting in slavery. Islam means submission and a Muslim understands that he is a servant of Allah. While this is also a Biblical aspect of our relationship with God, it is incomplete. As Christians, through Jesus, we know that we move from being servants to becoming sons and daughters. Pray that Muslims will also understand that God desires for everyone to know Him as children and not as slaves. (Galatians 4:7) (Matthew 18:3)
Praying for Muslims: Assurance of Salvation
Islam teaches that a person must do enough good deeds to outweigh the bad deeds in order to make it to paradise. Even then, there is no guarantee for a Muslim of salvation. As a result of this belief, it is difficult for many Muslims to fully understand the basis of forgiveness of sins. It is also difficult for Muslims to understand repentance. When we pray for Muslim’s to get saved, we are really praying that they will be convicted of sin and know true repentance. We are also praying that they would experience God’s total forgiveness and thus be able to forgive others. And, we are also praying that they would know the assurance of salvation through Jesus, something Islam can never offer them. (Ephesians 2:8-9.) (1 Peter 5:6) (Matthew 6:14-15)
Praying for Muslims: The Work of the Holy Spirit
Never underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit as you pray for Muslims. Allow God to teach you how to pray and to share His heart with you concerning them. Vast numbers of Muslims have come to Christ as a result of supernatural encounters. Many have dreams and visions of Jesus. It is only God who can open blind eyes and soften hearts. Only God can bring true conviction of sin and create new life. (Romans 8:26) (John 16:8)
Video Prayer / Faith Fuel
Nizam Testimony
From August 9th – September 9th 2010 Worldwide Mission Fellowship will be praying that Muslims around the world going through Ramadan will turn to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, this is in conjunction with similar prayer strategies around the world supported by Open Doors and 30 days of Prayer. Our ultimate prayer is for their salvation. The site will be updated daily at 05:45 GMT to coincide with our early morning prayer meeting so you can join us in prayer wherever you are.