Prayer Fuel

Day 30: The Church

In a small room, six to a dozen islanders sit in plastic chairs or on mats on the floor, perhaps a few ex-pats among them.  They sing praise songs, they read and discuss the word of God, they pray—all in the local language.  A weekly church service often looks like this. Lord show your children in the Islands the full meaning of the oneness in you and with one another that you prayed for us! The children of God are often spread out and not in regular relationship with one another. We pray for Christ in each believer, each believer in a church, and each church in positive relationship one with another with Christ as our head. In some places, ex-pat institutions offer more traditional services with instruments and pews and a few brave islanders join them. For a holiday they may gather in greater numbers—what joy!  Whatever the format, pray for more fellowships in every island, every village. Pray for them to be healthy, life-giving communities, bravely declaring the good news. 

Pray for your people and place according to what God shows you for today’s scripture:

Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV)

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

What this passage teaches us about God

God’s love is so great that it encompasses multitudes from every tribe, tongue, and nation. One day all believers will be in His presence, delighting in Him without condemnation.

• Pray for Muslims in this place to put their faith in Christ and be among them.
• May Christians from a Muslim background take the Good News of Jesus to other Muslims from neighboring people groups.
• This passage also teaches that it is right to ascribe blessings, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might to God for all eternity, literally. Pray for God to raise up more people in this land who would begin living this reality even now.

What this passage teaches us about humanity

Human hearts long for completion. We often look to tangible things like money, success, sex, relationships, food, or drink to meet this need. Our satisfaction in these things does not last.

• Pray that Muslims in this place will realize that they will find full satisfaction only in the presence of our Creator. Pray that they will taste this completion through a relationship with Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit provided for us here and now.
• May the promise of God dwelling with His people, pictured in this passage, provide hope for the fulfillment of this longing.

Insight into how this passage connects to Muslims

Muslims hope that their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds. They believe they have an angel on each shoulder recording their actions. This passage shows us that God has a superior plan. His plan is not merely to make those who put their faith in Him have more good than bad. His plan is to make us pure, so that we can be in His holy, perfect presence.

• Pray for Muslims in this place to long for true purity and to seek a way for that to be possible.
• Pray that they would thirst for the springs of living water and meet a believer who can lead them to the one who promised if you drink of Him you will never thirst again.

Insight into how to pray this passage for Christians reaching Muslims in this location

Sonia grew up in a very poor family. She often went without her basic needs being met. Even more devastating, her need to be unconditionally loved by her mom was unmet. As a result, she made some painful decisions in relationships with men, leading to more disappointment, shame, and rejection. She came to know Jesus, sharing His love with others, but the wounds from her childhood have not yet been fully healed.

• Pray Sonia and every believer in this place will be healed from emotional trauma. Ask that God would meet them in the midst of their hurt and suffering now and that He would guide them to springs of living water on this side of eternity.
• Pray that He would fill them with assured hope and that He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Related scriptures to pray for this people

May the Lamb receive the reward of His suffering in this land. May this Ramadan mark a turning point where many would take steps towards Christ — whether it be reading the Bible, talking to a Christian, or humbly praying to God and simply asking Him to reveal himself to them. We pray for families and groups of friends to gather around the Bible to hear the stories we’ve prayed through this month.

May the living and active Word of God, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrate them and make them whole. We pray for those in this land to experience God dwelling with them as described in Revelation 21:3-5. Through Christ may they find hope that He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor anymore pain, for the former things have passed away. We ask in faith that those we have prayed for this year would say goodbye to the former things and would walk with the One who says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”