Approximately 1.3 billion Muslims live in every region and most countries of the world. While the Middle East is the birthplace of Islam and an important center of Islamic influence, the largest Muslim populations are found in Central, South and Southeast Asia. There are an estimated 5 million Muslims in the United States. Muslims bear witness that God is one and that Muhammad is His final prophet. They consider Jesus as one of God’s greatest prophets, but they do not accept Him as divine or as man’s Redeemer and Lord. Muslims do not understand or accept God’s ultimate expression of His love shown in Christ’s life, death and resurrection. They focus on God’s holiness, justice and power. They strive to earn His favor and entry into heaven through obedience to Islamic law, good deeds and acts of self-sacrificing devotion. Muslims live within a protective wall of laws, traditions and relationships that separates them from God’s love. Your prayers take His love beyond the wall.

July 3, 2008	MUSLIMS: PRAYING BEYOND THE WALL. After hearing the testimony of a South Asian Muslim-background believer, a Muslim man with whom he was meeting said, “You’re lying!” The believer replied, “I am not. Why would I lie? This is a good thing that God has done. If I were lying, I couldn’t talk to you anymore.” Pray that this Muslim man, and others like him who doubt the power of Jesus to save from sin, will realize that a man’s testimony is his word of honor before Almighty God. Pray that upon hearing how Jesus has changed a former Muslim’s life, the doubters will be convicted of the truth and will turn to follow Him.
July 2, 2008	MUSLIMS: PRAYING BEYOND THE WALL. H is praying about her move to the West African village where her husband works. Her husband knows she is a believer, but she does not think the others in the house do (the other wives, the mother-in-law, sisters and brothers and cousins, etc.). H is praying that there will be peace in the household and that she will be at peace with them all. She is also asking the Lord to provide opportunities for her to meet other believers who are in that town. H has the name of one of these believers; join her in praying that she will be able to contact this person. Pray specifically for H’s daughter, R, who is about 10 years of age. She has expressed belief in Jesus, but her grandmother is pressuring her to follow Islamic traditions, which the girl does not want to do. This child has been threatened with punishment if she does not comply with the grandmother’s wishes. Ask the Lord to give H wisdom to know how to help her daughter learn how to handle this pressure. Pray that R will be allowed to move with H when she goes to her husband’s home. It would be very difficult for R to have to stay behind.
June 30, 2008	MUSLIMS: PRAYING BEYOND THE WALL. On December 26, 2004 the earth shook. Moments later a dark, angry wall of water crashed ashore flattening one third of the city of Banda Aceh., on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Hundreds of villages along the northwest coasts of Sumatra were destroyed. Within minutes more than 120,000 Achenese died. Thousands more were missing. Acehnese lives were marked forever by the tragic tsunami. In the midst of this tragedy, God opened the doors of this closed area. Pray that the Lord would mark the lives of the Acehnese forever with a much greater experience—a personal experience of His grace yielding deep peace and abundant, eternal life!