Lent and Ramadan began on the same day just days ago. One of the most powerful things I believe I can do to bring peace to our world is to pray for Muslims who are fasting during Ramadan. I used a prayer calendar to that effect, so every day I read about a tribe of unreached peoples, certain aspects of their need, and I pray for God to give them dreams and visions of Jesus. Many Muslim-Background-Believers (MBB’s) tell about those kinds of visions/dreams and the curiosity they created. They began to seek answers and found a Jesus they never expected. So, contrary to the rhetoric of our current politics, I do not hate those who are deemed as enemies. I care about their souls, their eternity, and PRAY that they will sense the leadership of the Holy Spirit at work. I do that because Jesus told us something powerful in the Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-44)

God never commanded us to HATE our enemies, but by the time Jesus was on the scene, this command to hate was a common oral teaching of the corrupt Pharisees that Jesus chided so often. In a parallel passage, Jesus said that even pagans can love those who love them and hate those who don’t. How would we be any different if we followed that thinking? It was astounding then to love enemies and pray for people who persecuted them. It’s astounding today…but POWERFUL!

When I pray for a man whom I once met in a Muslim culture, I am asking God to do what no one else CAN do. I ask God to melt his heart with the love of Jesus, just as I pray for a neighbor who is a good person AND still needs Jesus. I can pray for opportunities, openness, and access, but Jesus has access to the human heart at ANY time. So these days, two men are on my heart. ONE is over 10,000 miles away, and I can picture his smile, his concern about life, his love for his family, and his devout practice at the local mosque. I’m praying that God will surprise him with a vision of Jesus and a witness in his culture, JUST AS I am praying for my neighbor, for the opportunity to love him well, and to have Gospel conversations.

So, I’m praying for my one, and the ONES who are beyond my personal reach, but who are NEVER BEYOND THE HOLY SPIRIT’s REACH!