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How to Pray for Persecuted Christians

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How to Pray for Persecuted Christians

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How to Pray for Persecuted Christians

When we read of the suffering which our brothers and sisters in Christ endure for the sake of His Name, our hearts are moved and we long to bring them before the throne of grace. But sometimes it is difficult to know exactly how to pray, especially if we have never experienced such injustice or persecution ourselves.

The Bible tells us that the Church will be persecuted. So if the Lord will continue to allow persecution, what exactly should we ask Him for when we pray about these situations? We hope that the ten points below will be helpful suggestions, under the guidance and prompting of the Holy Spirit.

These points are also available in a small bookmark prayer card. Click here

 

  1. Praise God that He is all-knowing, that in Christ He himself experienced shame, pain and agonising death, as well as the glorious resurrection. Thank Him for His promise: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Josh 1:5).
  2. Pray that all governments will work for justice and righteousness. While Jesus says that in this world we will have trouble, (John 16.33) He does not say that it will always be present in every place.
  3. Pray that leaders of liberal democracies will use their influence to find ways to reduce, if not end, persecution in countries where it occurs. Just as Paul appealed to Caesar to seek justice (Acts 25), so Christians can appeal to secular governments.
  4. Pray for the growth of the Church where persecution flourishes, remembering that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
  5. Pray for strength and courage for those undergoing persecution, and for peace that only God can bring. Thank Him that His grace is sufficient for their needs (2 Cor 12:9). Pray that their faith will not fail, but that their suffering will draw them closer to Him and increase their faith.
  6. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable persecuted Christians to forgive and love their persecutors (Matt 5:44) and that their Christ-like reactions will have an impact on their persecutors.
  7. Pray that the Lord will be at work in the hearts of those who currently persecute our sisters and brothers to bring them to a saving knowledge of Himself, as He did with Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9).
  8. Thank the Lord for the privilege of entering into the sufferings of our sisters and brothers, remembering that “if one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Cor 12:26).
  9. Pray that Christians who are experiencing persecution will not lose the ability to accept or trust genuine approaches from those who have formerly persecuted them, as when the believers in Jerusalem had to learn to accept the reality of Saul’s conversion (Acts 9). Pray that the Lord will give discernment, and relief from unnecessary fears.
  10. Pray for yourself and for persecuted Christians to be spiritually ready for whatever tomorrow brings, be that persecution, respite from suffering or Christ’s return (Matt 24.42).

 

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Daily prayer

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  • Three churches in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have recently been ordered to stop holding Friday services in Farsi, the Iranian national language. One church was told that if the order was ignored, the building would be bombed “as happens in Iraq every day”. It is easier for people to attend a church service on a Friday, the main weekend day, than on Sunday, which is a working day. The Iranian authorities are concerned at the number of Muslims turning to Christ, and these restrictions seem designed to make it harder for Muslims to hear the Gospel. Pray that the government’s plan will not succeed, and that the churches in Iran will continue to grow. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 15 hours ago

  • Egyptians go to the polls tomorrow (23 May) for the first round of voting in landmark presidential elections. The contest will see Islamist candidates go head-to-head with former members of the Mubarak government and poses a huge dilemma for Christian voters. Despite suffering discrimination and persecution under the old regime, Christians are mostly supporting one of its candidates, fearing that an Islamist president would turn the country into an Islamic state. The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohamed Mursi, has vowed to implement sharia if elected, and a recent opinion poll found strong support for this agenda. Pray that the new president will run Egypt in such a way that Christians “may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2b), and that their rights will be upheld. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, May 2012 00:00

  • The Cuban authorities have also been clamping down hard on Christian human rights activists. On 4 March, Caridad Caballero Batista and her husband Esteban Sade Suarez were detained on their way to church, mistreated and held in a poorly ventilated, mosquito-infested cell for three hours. Since the start of the year they have been blocked, and sometimes violently prevented, from attending Christian activities. Other Christian activists have also been arrested or prevented from attending worship services. Give thanks that the churches in Cuba are growing, and pray that they may be strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10). Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Mon, May 2012 00:00

  • Threats, beatings, arrests and fines: these are all penalties suffered by Cuban pastors in a recent crackdown by the authorities. One church leader, from Moa, sustained brain damage in a brutal assault on 6 February; it is thought he was targeted because he challenged the confiscation of a vehicle owned by the church. In another incident, on 25 February, four leaders were detained in Bayamo while sharing the Gospel at the local bus station. One of them was so badly beaten that he required hospital treatment. In Havana a pastor has been repeatedly fined huge sums because his church is not registered, while another has faced threats of violence because of his congregation’s outreach to people on the margins of society. Pray for these leaders as they recover from their ordeal, and for an end to the official harassment. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sun, May 2012 00:00

  • Unregistered churches in Kazakhstan can face intense harassment from the authorities. On 8 February Aleksei Asetov, a father of ten, was given a fine equivalent to about 18 months earnings of an average wage for leading a small unregistered church that meets in his home in Ekibastuz in Pavlodar Region. His property was raided and Christian literature seized, and he was convicted of carrying out banned religious activity. He is the fourth Christian known to have been fined since the new Religion Law came into force. Pray that Christians will stand firm in their faith and show the love of Christ to those who persecute them. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sat, May 2012 00:00

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