Friday, November 3, 2023
God commissioned Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-2). Jonah did not like his assignment because the Ninevites were wicked. He knew that later on, they would defeat and torture his own people, the children of Israel, in ways unheard of. As a prophet, Jonah saw those tragedies coming. He did not want the Ninevites to repent or to receive God’s mercy!
He thought he could escape from his duty. But after the Lord brought him back to his senses, he went to Nineveh and preached God’s message. The entire nation repented! Read the book of Jonah.
It is not easy to convince Christians to wish Muslims well and offer them the message of Christ’s grace. Yet, we trust God to change our hearts and give us the courage to carry out his divine plan for the lost.
Prayer
You alone are God of all the peoples of the earth. You are our Maker and Redeemer. You have other sheep that are not in this flock (John 10:16). Your mercy is more universal than we sometimes think. Your love and compassion extend to Muslims also! You are interested in their well-being. You want the blind to see, the lost to be found and the dead to come back to life.
We pray for grace that we, the followers of Jesus your Son, will have kind hearts toward Muslims. They are lost because they are away from Christ, the only Savior.
We repent because we have failed you. Just as you were patient with Jonah and gave him a second chance to obey you, give us another chance, Lord God.
Help us go to Muslims with love, compassion and courage, empowered by your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Promise
I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT).