West Africa Advanced School of Theology

4 January 2013

Jumaa Prayer
for the Muslims of Africa and beyond
Intercede with Us for the Muslim World!
Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you (Jer 32:17, NIV). A new year brings new hope and inspires new efforts. As we pray for Muslims this year, let our faith be renewed. Consider this admonition: We need to have faith that Muslims will come to Christ. Among Christians the world over, there is a lack of concern for reaching Muslims. Many Christians who live among them are afraid to witness because of anti-evangelism laws in their lands. Worse than their fear is the lack of faith. Many Christians do not believe it is possible for Muslims to accept Christ. We need to recognize that this is one of Satans methods of keeping us out of this great harvest field. He does not want us to believe that Muslims can become a part of Gods Kingdom. Yet, the Bible tells us there will be shouts of joy and songs of glory to Jesus coming from people of every nation, tribe and language. To have faith that Muslims will come to Christ is the first and foremost step in interceding for them.*

Today's Prayer Requests: From Students and Alumni

GHANA: An alumnus pastoring in Ghana shares these prayer needs: 1) for the means to put up a house to serve as a refugee center for Muslim converts who are rejected; 2) for two Muslims who came to the Lord as the pastor went door to door, that they will be filled with the Spirit and become strong in their faith; 3) that God will visit His churches and that more will see the need and begin witnessing to Muslims.

In the News
SUDAN: Please pray concerning increased persecution of Christians and of Muslims who have turned to the Lord. Last month two Coptic priests were arrested for baptizing a young lady. She fled the country but was caught and returned to Khartoum. Beginning in mid-December through Christmas, air force bombs were dropped on villages in the Nuba Mountains in southern Sudan, killing at least 11, including at least one pastor, and preventing churches from celebrating. For more information, see http://bit.ly/W0rRdH. Please pray for workers in Sudan, as restrictions are becoming more severe. IRAN: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, released from prison in September after more than 3 years, was re-arrested on Christmas morning and told he must complete the last 45 days of his sentence. Please pray that the Lord will intervene and touch the hearts of those behind this harassment. Read more at http://bit.ly/ZTGAzC. Pray also for Pastor Youcef's attorney, who is now serving a 9-year sentence and has been banned from practicing law. He is a Muslim; pray that the Spirit will draw him to the Truth. Pray for the release of Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini, being held illegally, and for Pastor Behnam Irani, whose health is deteriorating in prison. Pray that the Lord would fill these men with joy and strength and that their lives would be used to reach the Muslims around them.

For Muslim Women**

Please pray that in the new year God would draw Muslim women everywhere to new life in Christ. Pray that Christian women everywhere would be poised for outreach to Muslim women who are seeking God.

Prayer Resources
*From Praying for Muslims: A Guide for Effective Intercession. This guide offers many insights concerning Islam and a different prayer subject each Friday. For the request for 4 January, see http://bit.ly/TvUTFz Global Initiative is a ministry of Assemblies of God World Missions, USA. Visit http://globalinitiativeinfo.com/ for information about praying for Muslims and weekly requests. ** Muslim women need your prayers! You can join a prayer network and receive regular requests at http://sayhelloinfo.com/. Find information and prayer requests concerning Muslims around the world at http://www.30-days.net/. Information and prayer requests for each country are available at http://www.operationworld.org/. To learn more about unreached people groups, visit http://www.joshuaproject.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. Jumaa Prayer Alerts (breaking news and urgent prayer requests) are posted on the WAAST Facebook page as they arise: http://tinyurl.com/d4gm6uq.