Lovefast 8: Reading Holy Books
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Day 8 of 30
By Phil Goodchild from the Mahabba team
Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!
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Daily verse
Thought for the day
Reading Holy Books
‘Let’s meet together and see what our Holy Books have to say about God, us and everything.’ From this starting point, several groups of Muslims and Christians around the UK are looking at what the Bible and the Quran have to say, without anyone ‘interpreting’ the words, just letting the text speak for itself. The important questions are, ‘What does this tell us about God, what does it tell us about people and what am I going to do about it?'
Our little group of women, half Christian and half Muslim, have enjoyed getting to know each other. A couple of the Christian women had never really met a Muslim, and for some of the Muslim women it was the first time they had met a real follower of Jesus. It has been a great joy to see ladies who have only just met sharing deeply about their joys and their difficulties, and then discussing together what we learned about God from the stories of Jonah, Joseph and Noah. We have talked, among other things, about what it means to trust God in difficult circumstances, being obedient to God, and the power of forgiveness in families.
Another group was looking at the story of the calming of the storm. In retelling the story a young Muslim lady referred to Jesus as ‘this man.’ How poignant – at the end of the story the disciples say ‘What manner of man is this?’ As she and others read more of ‘this man’ may they come to see who he is.
Prayer for the day
Pray that as Muslims read the Bible they would meet Jesus, the living Word of God.
Daily action
Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.
Find out about Holy Book Club or Prophets stories
Here is an example of text from Quran and Bible that people have looked at together
Or simply ask a Muslim friend if they would like to read the Bible with you and pray together
Your turn
Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.
Resources
Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?
There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:
Pray Together as a Congregation
Small Group Session
Night of Power Prayer Meeting
Prayer Walk Guide
What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.