You Guys Pray?

"Allahu Akbar", heard from mobile phones scattered throughout the meeting room we attended, reminded listeners of one of the five prescribed Muslim prayer times. They serve as constant reminders.

Muslims ask "Do Christians pray?" It's their honest question. Some Christian agencies discourage using the word prayer in communication with overseas workers. But isn't this is the very thing we'd want Muslims to know--that we are people of prayer...so that they can come to us for prayer in Jesus name?

Here's a story of one Christ follower who really believed in prayer. "Give me Souls, O God, or I die! That was the plea of John Hyde...

John left for India. Aboard ship, he opened a letter from a friend who wrote that he would pray until John was filled with the Holy Spirit. Angrily John crumpled the letter and hurled it aside. He had yielded his heart to the Lord, gotten his degree, studied Indian languages and was obediently on his way to a life work. How dare his friend suggest he lacked the Spirit? But when he cooled down, he realized that his friend was right. He pleaded for the power of the Holy Spirit.

The result was that John became a notable intercessor, one who pleads for the souls and needs of others. He was nicknamed "Praying Hyde". He often paid for his concern with sleepless nights.

Revival began when he came late to a meeting one evening. "I have been having a great controversy with God. I feel that he has wanted me to come here and testify to you concerning some things that he has done for me, and I have been arguing with him that I should not do this. Only this evening...have I got peace concerning the matter and have I agreed to obey him, and now I have come to tell you just some things that he has done for me." John told them how God had freed him from certain sins. Soon his listeners were weeping and confessing their own.

In 1908, anguished by the sight of sin and souls doomed to hell, he asked the Lord to bring a soul a day into the kingdom of God. Soon he upped that to two souls, and then four. God answered his prayers." (source)

I was at a pastors' and leaders' prayer meeting recently. One fellow in my group makes his mission to encourage vibrant prayer meetings. After ministering for years in Africa where he saw little fruit, he finally decided to pray. His ministry was revolutionized. This resonates with a prominent Mission Agency who made "By Prayer' their motto.

‘How do we encourage more prayer?’ Someone suggested “create an app”! Muslims already thought of that!

Prayer meetings with lofty long prayers can be drab. Recently I reread Rosalind Rinker's Prayer, Conversing with God. "Prayer is a dialogue between two persons who love each other."(the back cover). This concept has revolutionized many Christians' prayer life. It brought new life to prayer meetings.

Better still, make it a part of life. Perhaps it will be most sustainable if linked to a prayer partner. My wife and I seldom start out regular activities of the day without a dedicated time of Bible reading and prayer. We’ve seen answers to prayer. God is listening.

Lord, teach us how to pray.

Unlocking the Door

"There is a wide-open door for a great work here..." 1 Corinthians 6:9

This well-used Somali door was imported from Mogadishu!  It now decorates a restaurant in Toronto! The door is padlocked. The only way to get in is to use the right key. 

When we were in Pakistan, we ministered out of a hospital. Our staff was superb in showing the love of Jesus. We used it as a springboard to minister spiritually to people who came to the hospital and also followed up some of the patients and families scattered throughout the catchment area.

When I transitioned to full time in ministry in Canada, I searched for ways of connecting with Muslim men. It was easy overseas where we were part of an institution. So the door symbolizes what I had to do as a man. How do I start or get in? I had to find the key to minister to Muslim men and youth. One of those keys was to minister through programs. For several decades our government has funded programs to help settle newcomers. So, rather than reinventing the wheel, I started to volunteer at different places where I would have access to Muslims. Several of these are English conversation groups.

A number of years ago we helped settle refugees through Catholic Social Services. We were linked up to a newly arrived Afghan family of 6. The settlement counselor filled out an assessment for them of where they were needing help. There was a long list of options that included help with shopping, English practice, homework help, etc. The dad checked each item on the list--not possible for 1 volunteer!! It all got sorted out. 

Immigrants who come here obviously have to become proficient in English for their jobs and life here. Many things we take for granted are a challenge for those who are new. Reasonably good English is needed for reading notices from the caretaker, papers from the kids' school, paying bills, obtaining a driver's licence, and passing the citizenship test just to name a few. I'm thankful many Christians are involved in showing the love of God in practical ways.

Mohammad came here with ambitions to pass an exam to certify to service industrial equipment. Then he wants to sponsor other family members. So, he is learning English and trying to study for the technical exam. In the meantime he came to faith in Christ! While he treasures his new found faith, he still has to try to move ahead professionally. Its a privilege to help him with conversational English practice. He is very appreciative.

My wife and I spend time praying for each opportunity to serve newcomers by meeting felt needs. We want them to succeed. But there is more...we are intentional. We pray that I'll connect with the Muslims God wants us to follow up at the end of a term. 

Felt needs change as times goes on. Once the basic needs are met, the relationship with a newcomer may change. Life often gets busier and busier for them. The new felt needs are unique for each person--perhaps prayer for an ageing parent or encouragement in raising teenagers.

Thank-you Lord for the avenue of meeting felt-needs as a natural connecting point in ministering to Muslim immigrants. Amen.

International Students

"...but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." Romans 12:2

"If I go with God, I'm afraid he will spoil my life", bemoaned an International student contact. I went on to share that God had given me a very fulfilling life when I put my trust in him as I pray and listen to the Holy Spirit for many important decisions. "Surely he has good plans for you," I reassured her. 

If the trend continues, it is possible that the number of International students sent to the West could double in 10 years. Many of these not only come for undergraduate studies but stay on for graduate studies or research. Who would have thought that we would have large numbers of Saudi students in our universities? Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam is a very challenging place to declare God's truth.

Bakht Singh was an International student studying engineering at University of Manitoba in 1929. He had previously been strongly opposed to Christ and even tore up a Bible to prove it. John and Edith Hayward befriended him in Winnipeg and invited Singh to live with them. After every supper they would read the Bible. It was reading the New Testament that brought him to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus. He became India's foremost evangelist and church planter. Haywards were part of that miracle.

Reminds me of conversations I had with an Asian student. Hussein read the Persian Bible I gave him from cover to cover. We met from time to time to discuss the Christian faith. He liked what he discovered to the point that he concluded that he would like to be a Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim. I explained that I didn't know about becoming a Jew but if he wanted to be a Christian, he would need to believe Romans 10:9, "For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." "Do you believe Jesus is Lord and that he rose from the dead?," I asked. "No, I cannot agree with that," Hussein replied. "In that case, you are not a Christian yet," I added. There were many more conversations. The last chapter has not been written yet. I love this window of opportunity that we can have with inquisitive minds.  

Remember the incident I mentioned in my first post titled Redirection (click)? I believe God placed the District Commissioner in that strategic location to allow the Gospel to be preached in this remote town in Northern Pakistan. The students studying here are influential and how they view their experience in the West without a doubt will be remembered the rest of their lives. If they return to their homeland, they may appear in strategic places. It is possible for you to have a long term life-giving relationship with students from countries typically closed to Western missionaries. Like in the case of Bakht Singh, the Good News was carried to places we can never go. 

Heavenly Father, you direct students to come to simple places like Winnipeg to study but greater than that to meet you. Thank-you for allowing us to serve them and share the greatest knowledge they could ever get--that of knowing you personally. Amen