28 February - 30 March 2025

<aside>

DAILY PRAYER FUEL LINK:

https://ramadan.prayer.tools/list

</aside>

WHAT IS RAMADAN?

For the millions of Muslim people in East and Southeast Asia, the fasting month of Ramadan, on the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, marks the time Muslims believe the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad through an angel. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Qur'an prescribes fasting so that followers of Islam become mindful of Allah. This awareness is called Taqwa and is cultivated by fasting, giving to the poor - or providing money for the meal to break the fast for a larger group - and public readings and recitations of the Qur’an. It is a time of practicing living a life of purity so that they can grow spiritually, become a person of good deeds and intentions, and get closer to Allah. Ramadan also helps them practice self-restraint, patience and compassion.

A Muslim day starts at sunset, not midnight. Every day from sunrise to sunset Muslims abstain from anything passing their lips, either food or drink. At the Equator the fast lasts for 12 hours but north or south of the Equator during summertime a Ramadan day is much longer. When they feel hungry and thirsty during the day this reminds them to show compassion to poorer Muslims who do not have enough to eat.

A Muslim’s day during Ramadan starts long before sunrise with suhoor, a substantial breakfast, before dawn prayers, during the day many will go to the mosque for lunchtime prayers. At sunset Muslims will break their fast with water and a snack of dates before maghrib prayers after which they eat iftar, the main evening meal together with family. In late evening, men will go to the mosque for special tarawih Ramadan evening prayers.

One of the last 10 nights of Ramadan is known as Lailat al Qadr, or the Night of Power. It marks the time Muslims believe the first chapters of the Qu'ran were revealed to Muhammad. The Qu'ran promises double spiritual rewards and for worship and prayer on the Night of Power.

On the day Ramadan ends Muslim peoples express their joy and happiness by offering a congregational prayer all together, outdoors if possible. The day is a holiday in Muslim countries, and families and communities gather together for a feast, special dishes are prepared and presents are given to children. This feast is known as Eid-al-Fitr - 'the festival of the breaking of the fast' - it can last up to three days.

<aside>

A stab of hunger pain - it’s hours until Iftar, the meal when the fast is broken. A dry, scratchy throat, raspy for a drink of water. Saliva will have to do unless you are very devout and don’t swallow your spit at all. From sunrise to sundown, Muslims fast from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations during the holy month of Ramadan.

This physical pain and thirst indicate devotion, submission, and a desire for acceptance. This aching hunger for acceptance and intimacy propels us as Christians to share we are loved and accepted not by what we do as humans but because we are made in His image. Hope is within hand’s reach.

</aside>

Ramadan is a great time to pray for God to bless these and to pray that they would learn more Muslims about Jesus. Join us in interceding for the 1.8 billion followers of Islam so they will hunger and thirst no more and find their worth and value in their Creator.

DAY

1. Praying for our lost Muslim friends and neighbours is our responsibility. Jesus calls us to pray for this very task. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Pray God will remove the blinders from Sub-Saharan African Muslims’ eyes, hearts, and minds so they can believe in Jesus. Those lost will spend forever suffering in torment away from God if they do not embrace Christ. This realisation should cause us to plead to the Father for Muslims to believe the gospel and for God to save their souls from an eternity in hell.
2. Islam is growing across the world through new births, the marketplace, and radical movements. However, we serve a God who is greater than man’s plans. Would you pray with us that the good news of Christ would enter the home of every Sub-Saharan African Muslim family, overpower marketplaces with the message of hope and freedom, and bring the most radical jihadist to his knees? Pray the good news of Christ changes lives around the world and overcomes fear with true hope and peace.
3. After hearing the gospel, an Arab man was asked to describe Christianity in one word. He replied, “Love.” He was profoundly affected by his encounter with Arab Christians and the love they have for God, each other, and the world around them. Pray that the churches surrounded by Islam would embody the love of Christ as Jesus said in Matthew, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven,” Matt 5:44. Please pray for these churches to be strong and to endure harsh words and actions against them as they rely on Jesus to sustain them so they seek to be a blessing to those around them. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them,” Rom. 12:14
4. In Colossians, Paul exhorts believers to “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ...Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person,” Col. 4:2-6. Pray for missionaries who meet people for coffee, go for walks in the park, and share play dates with their children and are looking for an “open door” to share the gospel. Pray they do not neglect time in the Word and prayer, which is their lifeline, both in the joyful days and discouraging days. Pray for boldness and courage, so they are led by the Spirit in their conversations to point their Muslim neighbours and friends to Christ.
5. The Hui people group of China is among the largest unreached people groups in the world. Out of 13 million Hui, only a few thousand are followers of Christ. That means that 99.9% of Hui people are unaware of the gospel. For the Hui, to be Hui is to be Muslim, and turning to Christ would mean abandoning their ethnic identity. The Hui trace their lineage to Arab traders who came to China during the seventh through fourteenth centuries. Muslim ancestry is important to the Hui, but most have never heard that the true descendants of Abraham are those who have faith in Christ. Pray to God to save spiritually lost Hui through Jesus. “And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” Luke 19:9-10.
6. On an island in Southeast Asia live a feared group that most nationals will not reach out to because of a long history of violence. Yet, in the hearts of four local Christian young women, there is a calling to bring the message of hope by living in communities where this unreached Muslim people group dwells. “They need clean water, they need sanitation, but they need Jesus more than anything,” one of the women said. Pray for the four women as they lead gospel studies among the women and have seen several put their faith in God’s plan for salvation. They also provide opportunities to make a living. As the community work they offer changes the physical lives of this resistant people group, pray the gospel continues to transform their spiritual lives and brings maturity to believers, enabling them to stand against persecution.
7. Jesus promised that He would build His church, and He’s doing so in some difficult Muslim-majority areas of Southeast Asia. These house churches are small, dedicated, bold in their witness, and thriving despite threats from neighbours, local government, Muslim clerics, and the national government. Pray for these believers as they joyfully live out their faith in Jesus in the midst of persecution. Pray for comfort in the struggle and pray for boldness. Pray they stand strong and endure in their faith no matter what arrows the enemy slings at them. Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ as they pray for you!
8. Pray for local Baptist churches in Southeast Asia as they seek to understand and live out the call of God in their lives. Pray for boldness in their witness to their Muslim friends and neighbours. Pray for all disputes and tensions within the churches to be resolved. Pray Southeast Asian Baptists would heed the prayer of Jesus and would “be one”—unified—amid difficult living circumstances, physical needs, and pressure from local governments to be silent about Jesus.