Intercede with Us for the Muslim World!

Today's Prayer Requests: From Students, Alumni, and MissionariesNIGERIA: A missionary asks us to pray: (1) “for the persecuted church, that God will give them the courage to standin times of terror, and that they will have wisdom to know when to stand and defend themselves and when to lay low;(2) for the terrorists, that key operatives will have Damascus Road experiences and become apostles for Jesus Christrather than persecutors of His Church; (3) for those who have been terrorized, for the rebuilding of their lives,churches, communities and families; (4) for the more than 70 unreached people groups in the north of Nigeria—mostly Islamic groups. They need to hear about Christ and know His power to save and transform their lives!”

In the NewsPlease pray for Meriam Ibrahim, a 27-year-old wife and mother who has been sentenced to death by hanging in Sudan.She was raised as a Christian after her father abandoned the family. Because her father was a Muslim, she is alsoconsidered Muslim and has been charged with apostasy. She was given 3 days to recant and embrace Islam, butrefused. Meriam's Christian husband, who holds US citizenship, is now in Sudan appealing for her release. She andtheir toddler son are both in prison, and she is due to give birth to their second child soon. Pray for God's interventionand favor as the appeal is made, and for Meriam's health and a safe delivery. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/qddv5vb.

Pastor Saeed Abedini, imprisoned for his faith in Iran and hospitalized for the past two months, was severely beaten inhis hospital room and returned to Rajai Shahr prison on Tuesday. Please pray for God's grace on Pastor Saeed, for hisfamily, and especially for his wife, Naghmeh. She writes: “I have to be completely honest with you all and ask foryour prayers and your help. For the first time in two years, I feel so very tired and not sure of next steps.... Need youall to hold my hands up like Moses in battle.” See http://tinyurl.com/ou86ujd for more information.

World Watch List: Pray for the Persecuted*The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan is number 20 on the World Watch List, which ranks countries wherepersecution against Christians is most severe. Though it is officially a secular state, Islam permeates community life.Those who accept Jesus face persecution on two fronts: from the government, which opposes religion in general, andfrom their Muslim families. Evangelical believers number fewer than 50,000 in this nation of 5.2 million. Meetingsare monitored and Christian literature is banned. Pray that the Lord will give wisdom to His people and encourage andguide them in their spiritual growth and witness. Pray that their lives would touch the Muslims around them.

For Muslim Women**Pray for Muslim women in Yemen. They are often subject to sharia law and have little opportunity to learn about JesusChrist. Please pray for Yemen's girls. More than half are married by age 18—some as young as 8—usually to mucholder men. These child brides cannot finish school and are more likely to be abused and to die in childbirth. In AprilYemen's minister for legal affairs submitted a “Child Rights Act” to the Prime Minister. This Act sets a minimummarriage age of 18 and outlaws female genital mutilation (FGM). Pray for favor as this proposed law is considered.

Prayer Resources*Open Doors publishes an annual list ranking the 50 nations where persecution against Christians is most severe. See the full 2014World Watch List at http://bit.ly/1mcm2fu. Click on a country on the map or list to read its profile and prayer requests.

**Muslim women need your prayers! You can join a prayer network and receive regular requests at http://sayhelloinfo.com/.

Praying for Muslims: A Guide for Effective Intercession offers many insights concerning Islam and a different prayer subject eachFriday. This week we pray concerning the deceptive stories Muslims believe; may they know Truth! http://tinyurl.com/m5465g8

For a list of resources for prayer groups, see http://tinyurl.com/waastjumaa.

Find information and prayer requests concerning Muslims around the world at http://www.30-days.net/.

How should we pray for those imprisoned for their faith? Read http://www.elam.com/articles/How-to-pray-for-those-in-prison/.

For news updates concerning persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/ and http://www.releaseinternational.org/.

For prayer requests, visit http://www.opendoorsusa.org/pray/ and http://www.persecution.com/public/pray.aspx.

To help you answer Muslims' questions about Jesus and the Bible, explore http://answeringislam.org/.

Jumaa Prayer for the Muslims of Africa and beyond

West Africa Advanced School of Theology 23 May 2014