As a soldier, my mission was to stop the militant wing of Islam through my role as a “combat multiplier”. As a minister of the gospel my desire is to save Muslims. In the world in which we live both missions are necessary, but I have no doubt that conversion will bring about the peace we desire much more effectively than our weapons. So it was of interest to me when a hymn on the subject recently came to my attention. (My thanks to George Grant and his blog.) Here are the lyrics to “For the Mahometans” by Charles Wesley.
1. Sun of unclouded righteousness,
With healing in thy wings arise
A sad, benighted world to bless,
Which now in sin and error lies,
Wrapped in Egyptian night profound,
With chains of hellish darkness bound.
2. The smoke of the infernal cave,
Which half the Christian world o'erspread,
Disperse, thou heavenly Light, and save
The souls by that impostor led,
That Arab-thief, as Satan bold,
Who quite destroyed thy Asian fold.
3. O might the blood of sprinkling cry
For those who spurn the sprinkled blood!
Assert thy glorious Deity,
Stretch out thy arm, thou triune God,
the Unitarian fiend expel,
And chase his doctrine back to hell!
4. Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Thou Three in One, and One in Three,
Resume thy own for ages lost,
Finish the dire apostasy;
Thine universal claim maintain,
And Lord of the creation reign
In some ways, little has changed when it comes to Islamic impact on world events. Even in the 1700’s, during Wesley’s lifetime, there was a militant, violent wing of Islam. Moslem piracy on the high seas was common (which was why our Marines landed on the shores of Tripoli). Muslims were a major part of the African slave trade. The sword was often used to bring entire cities or nations under the domination of Islam.
Isn’t it interesting that Wesley’s approach in facing the same doctrine (“the smoke of the infernal cave”) that plagues the world today was his prayer that God would save Muslims and show them the truth? Yes it’s true that men like Osama bin Laden preach that it is the duty of every Muslim to kill Americans, and they must be stopped. But I wonder how often we pray for the salvation of our enemies.
Don’t dismiss the possibility that a Muslim can turn to Christ for salvation. They already consider Jesus to be a prophet so it’s not a major leap for them to seriously consider what their own prophet has to say. From there, believing and receiving can only come through the aid of the Holy Spirit, which is why our prayers are so important. So you can consider this rant to be a prayer request. Please pray for laborers in that difficult harvest. Pray for hearts to be softened. Pray for minds to be enlightened. Pray for saving faith to take root.
