I Prayed for 17 Years for My Muslim Mum to Know Jesus 

In 2003, after almost two decades of praying, Jonathan Oloyede's devout Muslim mother came to know the Lord. Here’s the advice he would share with those praying for non-Christian family and friends.

This article appears in Sharing Jesus, a resource to take the fear out of evangelism and help Christians put their faith into words. Find out more and purchase here.

I come from an Islamic family and grew up as a devout Muslim. Therefore, you may not be too surprised to hear that my encounter with Jesus was a spiritual drama. My family reacted very negatively, with my dad disowning me. The day I met Jesus, I had a dream where I escaped from a burning building. I felt strongly that the dream revealed that I had escaped the fire of hell and needed to pray for my friends and family to escape from that fire too. 

Following this dream, I began to pray fervently for my friends and family; one by one, many became believers over the years. But not my parents.

Then, on Mother’s Day 2003, I invited my devout Muslim mum to church. In her typical fashion, she gruffly said, “No!” Strangely, I persisted and, with quite the charming response, replied, “Mum! It’s going to be a big affair. Lots of mothers are coming dressed up to receive roses and appreciation.” My mother was a socialite who loved occasions. Something in my voice or the bait of a celebration made her say, “Okay, I will come this time.”

As I was going to be preaching, I told my mum in advance that we were going to make two appeals for people to come onto the stage. The first was for those making a decision to follow Christ, and the second was for the mothers.

After my sermon, I started making the altar call for people to come forward to receive Jesus into their lives and remember seeing my mum stand up. Oh no! I thought; she thinks this is for the mums. I quickly stepped down from the stage to take her back to her seat. As I reached her, she beamed up at me with a radiant smile and said, “My son, I want to give my whole life to Jesus today!”

I held my mum in my arms and looked at her in amazement. She repeated eight unbelievable words: “Yes, I want to become a Christian today!” I was so emotional as I held her - this was a culmination of 17 years of prayer for her to make a decision for Christ!

Today, it brings me so much joy to say that my whole family is Christian - including my dad, who went to be with the Lord a year after his conversion.

So how do you pray for family and friends? Let me share with you my own experiences:

1. Make a list

One of the most practical places to start is by making a list of those in your family and friends who need to encounter Jesus or come back to Him. Keep a record of the people being prayed for.

2. Pray from your heart

When I began praying for my parents, I did not have a prayer guide or any teaching on how to pray. The Lord had told me to pray for my family, so I just prayed from my heart!

3. Love them without being too preachy

One of the things that can put anyone off is living with someone who lectures you every day about your morals! 1 Peter 3:1-2 advises those with a spouse to ‘preach’ through behaviour and attitude. Your best sermons are those spoken by your daily life. Trust me; many are watching you!

4. Be fun to be around

You get the impression as you read the Gospels that Jesus was fun to be around! He hung around normal people and was not aloof or religious. The joy you exude as you mingle with people will impact them deeply.

5. Fast

I did a lot of fasting for my family and friends in those early years. Fasting helped to keep me focused and disciplined. It helps you to get rid of distractions so that you can connect more deeply with God.

6. Hear from God

As you pray for your family and loved ones, keep reading and studying the Word of God so that He can speak more clearly to you. Once you hear the Lord speak, that acts as a reference point to anchor your soul. I can still remember, after all these 40 years, God’s words to me about my family.

7. Surrender them to God

When one year becomes ten looong years, it’s easy to lose heart. Hand over the salvation of your loved one to God. It is not your responsibility or ability to get anyone saved. Only the Lord, by His Spirit, can do that.

It is a beautiful thing to see and experience someone you love come to Jesus or come back to God. Luke 15:10 reveals the joy of angels and Heaven when someone repents. I urge you to never give up praying. Hang in there, and hopefully one day, you will be like the father of the prodigal son - running to hug that person with joy, even if your slippers fall off!

Jonathan Oloyede is the founder and leader of the National Day of Prayer and Worship.

Edited by: Bethan Walker

This article appears in Sharing Jesus, a resource to take the fear out of evangelism and help Christians put their faith into words. Find out more and purchase here.