As Ramadan comes to a close, let’s look back at what Ramadan means to the world. The media is trying to determine whether the end of the month means more violent acts or less by militant Muslims.

Contrast this with Christmas and Easter, which besides an economic boost to retailers, is generally accompanied by “peace on earth, goodwill to men.” While those words were originally referring to God’s good will toward us, not to each other, the former follows the latter.

What I see in the contrast is a lack of hope. It must be very difficult to live in a religion that offers no sure and certain hope like Islam, where the only way to be assured of heaven is by dying for the cause. Christians believe that salvation is a free gift, paid for by Jesus Christ.

So even though Ramadan is done, I encourage you to pray for the Muslims that they may find and know true peace–not just the lack of violence, but the wholeness that only Christ can give.