The Five Pillars

These pillars are part of a Masjid, Muslim place of worship, in Southern Aceh. Pillars are important, because they help to hold up the structure of the building. If the pillars are faulty, then the whole structure becomes unstable. Construction in Indonesia is not known for its neatness nor durability. It is very common to see structural failure when serious storms or earthquakes test the quality of the building.

In the same way, the structure of spiritual beliefs are only as stable as the pillars on which they are built. Muslims build their faith on five pillars of belief – the confession, prayer, giving alms, fasting, and pilgrimage. 

It is believed that adherence to these pillars is mankind’s only hope of appeasing God’s wrath over sin. Every good action creates a certain amount of value or merit before God. Every bad action also creates a sin-debt. It is hoped that the good deeds, called amal, will pay for the bad deeds. In this belief system it is impossible to know if your good deeds balance the bad.

Pray for God to reveal His truth to the peoples of Sumatra so they will build their spiritual life upon a solid foundation.

Pray for spiritual insight for the peoples of Sumatra so they can determine the structural integrity of the pillars of their faith.

Pray for God to use storms to shake up the assumptions of the peoples here and awaken them to their need for Him.