“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.’” (Matthew 9:35-38)
I had been on campus for two months and had heard of the Jenkins Center but had never had much interest or intent of visiting. Finally, on March 16, I decided to come for tea time after chapel. There I met Grace Kim, then an intern at the center, who shared with me about the mission of the center and the prayer meetings that were starting the following week. I have always loved attending prayer meetings, had been starting to consider missionary work, and did not have class on Monday mornings. These things, combined with Grace’s infectious enthusiasm brought me to that first prayer meeting. As I came to those meetings each morning, my life was changed.
The Intercessory Prayer for Ramadan, as it was named by the Jenkins Center, happened at 9 am every weekday at the center, from March 20 until April 20. Each day at this time, even over weekends and during school breaks, had a designated topic with three specific prayer points. We began by praying for God’s blessing upon the meetings. We prayed for him to prick the hearts of students at Boyce College and Southern Seminary, and he certainly answered that prayer through me.
The meetings began with one person leading a slideshow and walking the attendees through the topic of the day. We would go into the three consecutive times of prayer, each focused on one of the prayer points. After the first day, we went on to pray specifically for nations and people groups heavily affected by Islam. Some of the volunteers, staff, and friends of the center had personal connections to specific countries and were allowed to present the prayer points and lead the prayer. This made the meetings all the more impactful, as you could see the deep compassion the speakers had for their respective countries and the people within them.
At the end of our month together, we met on the evening of April 18 to worship and pray. Muslim tradition has a “Night of Power,” or Qadr, that is said to occur sometime each Ramadan. The exact date is unknown but various Muslim sects have their ways of determining what date they believe to be the Qadr. What makes this night so important to Muslims is that it is a night to find favor in the eyes of Allah. It is a night in which they expect their prayers to be answered. It is a Night of Power, they say, but they believe in a god who has no power. That is why we met together one night to pray and worship. For we have a God who finds favor in his children, we have a God who answers our prayers, and we have a God who is all-powerful. He called upon our God to seek out these Muslims lost in darkness and bring them into his glorious light.
What did we do once these structured meetings were over? Some may have gone back to their everyday lives and moved on from that earnest prayer. But for me and others, we were caught—hook, line, and sinker—with compassion and fervor for the salvation of Muslim people. Even through final exams and into the summer, I continued to pray. I used the prayer sheets from the month and learned from reading autobiographies. God would not let me forget these people and their need for his Christ.
Join us. Join us as we plead in prayer. Join us as we go to reach Muslims, overseas and in Louisville. Join us as we seek the salvation of the lost. God is working. He has compassion for the crowds as they are like sheep without a shepherd. He works daily to send people like you and like me into the world to bring the Good Shepherd to the nations, to reap the wheat of these seeking people. Once again, I challenge you to join us in praying earnestly both for the salvation of Muslim people and for the sending of Christian workers into his harvest.