How to inspire people to pray for Muslims

This resource was shared at the 2016 National Gathering by Heather from Mahabba Oxford.

It is designed to help local coordinators foster prayer in local Mahabba prayer groups, but can be used elsewhere!

Resources

Keep informed

• Stay connected with those in your prayer group/location who are working in Muslim contexts
• Invite them to share when that’s possible
• Build relationship between intercessors and those they’re praying for

Muslim world

• There are masses of resources!
• Too much information can make it difficult to pray, so be selective

Local knowledge

• How many mosques in your area?
• What sort of mosques?
• Who are the imams?
• Pray for them by name

Muslim communities

• Ethnicity?
• Brand of Islam?
• What are their issues or challenges?

Special events

• Ramadan, Night of Power, eids, etc.
• See here for a resource on how to pray for the Night of Power during Ramadan

Your community

• What’s going on in Muslim communities that you can pray for?
• What are churches doing that you can bring a Muslim focused aspect to?

New believers

• Pray for those who have come to faith from Islam
• Invite any locally to meet with you if appropriate

Practical Ideas

• Have a plan – you can always change it!
• Vary the menu (eg., personal/local, national, international)
• What do people in your group care about? Pray for Muslim friends by name
• Incorporate worship – big requests require us to remember we have a great God
• Remember to be thankful – feedback on answered prayer where possible
• Develop persistence/perseverance – we may never know how our prayers are answered but we keep praying

Vary styles and patterns

• Stay in a large group
• Pairs/3’s/small groups
• Move around
• Don’t be afraid of silence
• Give time to listening/reflecting
• Speak out together
• Declaration
• Imagination (e.g., how do you think it feels to be a Muslim woman unwelcome at the mosque? How does it feel to be a moderate Muslim in Britain today?)
• Be visual – use maps, pictures, short video clips
• Scripture
• Pray positively – choose to bless

The final word

• Know your prayer group
• Work with who you’ve got, not with who you wish was there!
• Those who are there want to pray – aim to send them away encouraged!
• Remember, everyone else’s prayer meeting isn’t more interesting/dynamic/successful/fruitful than yours!