Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.
We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. Jesus put it this way: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
It is vitally important that we diligently pray for the persecuted church. Praying for God’s family experiencing extreme hardships makes more of a difference than we will ever know. Christian persecution goes back to the early church (see Acts 6:8–8:1) and the stoning of Stephen—with Saul there, “congratulating the killers” (Acts 8:1, msg). Consider the extent to which this same Saul, now Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, would endure “toil and hardship” for the sake of the gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:23–30).
The persecution continues today. According to Open Doors USA, the following facts are a heartfelt call to pray for Christians in the midst of daily persecution. Each month:
• 322 Christians are killed for their faith
• 214 churches and Christian properties are destroyed
• 772 forms of violence are committed against Christians (such as beatings, abductions, rape, arrests, and forced marriages)
Open Doors, founded by God’s Smuggler author Brother Andrew in the mid-1950s, has worked tirelessly to get Bibles into countries closed to traditional approaches to the gospel. In so doing, they have seen and sought to tell others about a variety of hostilities carried out against members of God’s family around the world. Since 2011, the ministry has distributed One With Them wristbands to remind God’s people to pray for the persecuted church.
According to The Pew Research Center, over 75% of the world’s population lives in areas with severe religious restrictions (and many of these people are Christians). Also, according to the United States Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.
Oh Lord, prompt my heart each day to pray for those who don’t have the freedoms I take for granted! I am so blessed with all that I need when the persecuted church faces horrific consequences simply for believing and following You. Forgive me for failing to pray for those across the earth who face trials and horrific acts of violence each day simply for being committed to their lives in Jesus! May the prayers I pray for the persecuted result in action through the power of the Holy Spirit. Show me tangible ways to bring comfort and relief and rescue to those for whom I pray!
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings. This book is available at prayershop.org.
Prayer Points
Praise the God of faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13).
Thank him for the “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet.1:3).
Confess those times when you have given in to discouragement rather than hoping in God.
Commit yourself to taking hold of the hope which God freely offers to you (Heb. 6:18).
Ask that you will have opportunity to share your hope with another person today.
Ask God to help you live in such a way that your unsaved friends will ask “you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet. 3:15). Then be ready with your answer!
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.