There’s one thing I will never forget about mom and dad who engaged in ministry among Somalis for fifty years. They prayed alot. I can still hear dad praying with large faith "Jehovah Sabaoth..." He often addressed God like that. A colleague remarked that it sounded like he was moving the armies of God into action. Dad's praying has had a lasting influence on my life. From childhood I caught it that there must be something very important about prayer.
Sharing Christ with Muslims is a huge challenge. We are confronted with things we haven't encountered before. We are not on an enchanting cultural exchange program or only a humanitarian mission, but entering a spiritual battle for truth. We want to see breakthroughs and victories. There's only one thing a person can do... pray. It would be unwise to visit my Muslim friends without first spending time in prayer. I ask the Holy Spirit to awaken their souls, cause questions to arise, stir up a longing to know God, remove misconceptions and lies, give them a yearning to read the Word, convict them of sin and righteousness, destroy deceptions and superstitions, bind up fears which keep some of them entrenched in occultic activities and let the light and truth shine. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me boldness, grace, and love and to direct our conversations. But above all to be able to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. As a result of praying strongholds start coming down little by little over the weeks, months, years, and decades.
I’ve been praying earnestly for Layla these days. Without prayer nothing spiritually is going to budge in Layla's soul. Her life is secure and stable and focused on fulfilling the requirements of Islam and gaining Allah’s approval for correct behavior. Recently she mentioned that her relatives were planning on going on the Umrah. I asked her if she had ever gone on the Umrah. She had so I asked her questions about what all happened and why she did certain things on it. She had never thought about the reason for cutting off a little bit of her hair or why she walked seven times around Allah’s house or did the Sa’i ritual walk. After that I asked her if she could tell me the story of Hagar but, looking unsure of the details, she urged, “You tell me.” I was more than happy to do that as it provided a wonderful opportunity to share how God sees her, cares about her and can help her with her problems. It was the beginning of a breakthrough in discussing soul issues. I doubt our conversation would have opened up if I hadn’t spent time in prayer. Praying is the secret of effective evangelism. It prepares us. It prepares the Muslim. God will surely release His power.
Dear heavenly Father, I am amazed how You work when I pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 
