Pray for the Persecuted

Image by xandert

 “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13:3

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Please join me in praying for persecuted Christians throughout the world. May they stand strong in their faith.  May they feel God's loving presence and peace deep in their heart, mind and soul. May they experience God's supernatural power flowing through them. May God provide solace and everything they need to glorify Him and win more souls to Christ. May God comfort them, their families and loved ones. May their persecutors see Jesus in them.

It's hard to understand why God allows His people to suffer, but we know He has a plan for each one His children and He wants us to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted. Billy Graham writes, "Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are enduring great trials because of their faith. Most of all, make sure of your own commitment to Christ, and make it your goal to live for Him regardless of what the future holds. Remember: In the end, God will win."

Christian persecution is really happening. We need to pray for the persecuted church and not just today but every day. According to Open Doors, a ministry for the persecuted church, "75% of the world live in an area with severe religious restrictions and "100 million Christians are persecuted worldwide in over 60 different countries!" The official International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church website states, "Believers in countries such as Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Vietnam face violence, imprisonment and even death because of their faith in Jesus Christ. There are other places in the world such as North Korea where acts of persecution take place, but we don’t see or hear of it. Brother Andrew of Open Doors once said: 'Our heroes are not with us simply because they are in prison.'" In my mind, every persecuted Christian is a hero and deserves our prayer support.

May God bless every persecuted Christian in the world and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
National Day of Prayer Poems: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/05/national-day-of-prayer-haikus-short.html
The best "Good News": http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-good-news-how-to-become-born.html
Anti-depression prayers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/07/anti-depression-prayers.html