JULY - WOMEN AND FAMILIES

Life for women in most of the Arabian Peninsula (AP) has changed over the past fifty years. In some of the countries women have been allowed to pursue higher education and to enter the work force. Most Arab women are covered in black; this dress has given them greater freedom to enjoy a public life and still retain an unblemished reputation.

Doors of opportunity to reach out to young women are open as never before through friendships with Christian women developed naturally in the universities, work places, hospitals and over the Internet. As a result of these contacts, some women have requested Bibles and asked searching questions, yet there is always the fear that their newfound freedom can be snatched away if their families become suspicious.

Family relationships are also undergoing rapid change. Wealth and modernization have resulted in fathers becoming more distanced from their families and spending most of their waking hours outside of the home. Wives are often suspicious that their
husbands will take another wife. Children sense this lack of trust between their parents and often fear the disapproval of their fathers. It seems that women and children tend to see God in the same way, for although they know that God is all-powerful, they see Him as inaccessible. Many women devoutly practice Islam but with little sense that God is truly concerned about them. Some women have asked Christian women to pray for them and the needs of their children. They admire the access and open relationship that these women seem to have with God.

Arab families think and act corporately. It runs counter-culture for Arabs of the AP to make an important decision without consulting with family elders. Christian workers in these countries long to minister to family units and see entire households make the decision to follow Christ.


PRAYER POINTS

Monday - Pray for God to draw entire households to Himself. Pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to whole families through dreams and visions.

Tuesday - Pray for freedom from evil spirits and oppression (Luke 8:2). Pray that women would find freedom through Christ and go on to follow Him.

Wednesday - Pray that women would know Him as "the God who sees me" (Genesis 16:13) just as their ancestor Hagar did.

Thursday - Pray for the production of videos, satellite programs, literature and other tools that minister specifically to the spiritual needs of women and their families.

Friday - Pray for Christian teachers in the schools. Pray for relationships to develop between young Christian women and children and their fellow Arab students in public schools, colleges and universities.

Saturday - Pray for the isolated female believers in the Arabian Peninsula. Pray for their safety and resolve to follow Christ. Pray for wisdom for those who are discipling them.

Sunday - Pray that the Lord would lead Christian workers to "Lydias" (Acts 16:14, 15), devout women and their families whom God is preparing to receive the Gospel.