Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times

It is critical that the church in America understands the times and what
needs to be done now. The natural things speak of the invisible. Natural
happenings on the earth are revealing something that is going on in the
spiritual realm. There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide
of Islamic boldness being manifested. Several happenings are converging
this week. First of all, our President has recently proclaimed, honored,
encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He
was very silent on the National Day of Prayer but very vocal on the
support of Ramadan. Interestingly at the same time a major Christian
leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer
in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the church will better
understand our Muslim friends. We are all for understanding but we must
have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being
invoked into our nation.

Cause for Concern

At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a
Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/
). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall.
This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic
gathering, “Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the
White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the
White House will become into a Muslim house.” These are not empty words.
They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble
to America.

A Divine Moment

Now one of these events is enough to awaken us to this significant
throbbing moment, but when they all converge it becomes a massive
spiritual alarm that must be responded to by the praying Church. However,
I believe in this moment of divine providence God has raised up on the
stage of history a little “Esther” that if we pray and fast for her she
could be a major voice to expose the dark under-belly of Islam and
radiate a bright hope for a day of salvation for Muslims in America.

Headlines

On Monday, Rifqa Bary, a young 17-year-old woman, will be in the
headlines of US news. Four years ago, while living in a very devout and
radical Muslim home, Rifqa met Jesus in a powerful way as her savior. She
hid her conversion, began praying secretly, and began hiding her bible
from her parents. Then, on Facebook, her love for Jesus was exposed to
the radical Muslim community in Ohio. Rifqa’s father demanded that she
renounce Jesus or he would kill her as is commanded by the Koran. As a
radiant believer in Jesus she refused to renounce her Lord and fled to
Orlando where she was taken in and cared for by a Christian Church and
family. Now, the father is appealing to the courts to bring her back
under his custody. Major television networks have already covered her
story. How must the Church of America respond in this moment for our
sister who is a part of the Body of Christ?

A Major Sign

This convergence, I believe, is urgently summoning us in the midst of the
rising tide of Islamic influence in America to recognize that our God is
above every god and that if we return to Him with all of our hearts and
call upon Him with fasting and prayer then God could use what the enemy
meant for evil to bring about a great day of salvation for Muslims in
America, of which Rifqa is but a major sign.

Here is The Call

First of all, we cannot be passive as a Church to let these kinds of
developments go on without being challenged in the spirit. Our fight is
not against Muslims, it is against principalities, powers, and forces of
darkness. We are calling the Church of America at the end of Ramadan,
from September 21st through 25th, to five days of concerted prayer. On
Monday, we must pray that God would grant supernatural wisdom to the
courts so that the testimony of Jesus would be proclaimed and that the
best situation for Rifqa and her family would take place. We must pray
for Rifqa to be bold in proclaiming Jesus that even thousands of Muslims
would hear and be awakened to the love of Christ. She has already said
that this is not about her but about many Muslims coming to Jesus. We
must pray for her lawyers who are being bullied, threatened, and
challenged on every side. On Friday, September 25th, the Muslim Day of
Prayer, we are calling the Church of America to fast and pray that
Muslims would be moved by the Holy Spirit, convicted by the testimony of
Christ, and even be visited by Jesus in dreams. We must pray that God
would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great
awakening that we desperately need for America.

Let us hear the call to prayer and not miss this moment,

Lou Engle
The Call