Christian persecution can be difficult to comprehend. But we can pray for persecuted christians boldly knowing God hears us, and He can do all things.
“Be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 3:18).
Boldly Pray for Persecuted Christians
This challenge from the apostle Paul to the church of Ephesus comes right after the familiar passage describing the pieces of the armour of God. Paul knows that prayer is essential to winning battles because it connects us to God’s power, and Paul wants to make sure the churches he has planted get that!
Sometimes the magnitude of Christian persecution can be difficult to comprehend and even harder to understand what we can possibly do to move the needle. But that’s when we pray, consistently and boldly, knowing that we have been called to “be alert and keep on praying.”
Will you commit to praying these bold prayers with us for God’s people, our persecuted family?
Pray for a resilient Church in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Almost daily we get reports of attacks on our family in sub-Saharan Africa. According to Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List research, Nigeria remains the most violent country in the world for Christians—and Sub-Saharan Africa is the world’s deadliest region for God’s people. The statistics are horrifying. Out of every 10 Christians murdered for their faith, nine are killed in this region. Out of 2,700 Christians kidnapped in 2022, 92% were in Nigeria.
Pray boldly that our family in this region will be resilient, that they “would walk and not grow weary” (Isaiah 40:31).
Pray for hidden manna for persecuted believers.
In North Korea, food is most scarce during the winter. In internal displacement camps filled with tens of thousands of people, food can be difficult to find, and Christians in these camps have shared with us that they are often at the end of food distribution lines, discriminated against for their faith.
Please pray for provision for God’s people, for unexpected miracle discoveries of hidden manna in the inhumane prison camps and anywhere Christians struggle to find food.
Pray that children receive an education and that no child will be banned from school because they and their family follow Jesus.
We continue to hear how extremists use school and education as weapons of retaliation and coercion. When a family leaves the local or national religion to follow Jesus, their children can be banned from school. When threatened, Christians must flee their homes to avoid attack, and shelter, food, and basic needs in displacement camps are higher priorities than education. The lack of education becomes another tactic to cripple the Church.
Pray that persecuted children would “soar on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).
Pray that our persecuted family, more than 360 million people around the world, will know they’re not alone.
Isolation and feeling as if you’re the only one in the struggle can be one of the Enemy’s most powerful tools, especially in places where following Jesus makes you a target for discrimination and attack. Saad (not his real name), a secret Christian in Afghanistan, shared, “We feel disoriented and alone.” Our local partners tell us they often hear from Christians, especially new converts, “I thought I was the only one.”
Pray with us, asking God to give His people like Saad visions and dreams of the worldwide Church standing with them. Ask Him to place unexpected people and situations in their lives as constant reassurances and comfort that that they are not alone.
