One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 9
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FOREWORD
you read each daily prayer prompt, you will notice that we often refer to the persecuted as our
“persecuted Christian family” and our “persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.” We are not
separated into groups of “us” (Christians in the free world) and “them” (Christians in restricted
nations and hostile areas); in Christ, we are one united body—one church.
When we pray for the persecuted and read their stories of courage, faithfulness, and obedience, we enter into fellowship with them. In addition to the stories in the daily prayer prompts,
The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible includes six extended stories with color photos of
Christians who have been persecuted for their faith. As we allow their stories to inspire us to
a deeper commitment to Christ and his Great C
ommission—no matter the cost and wherever
God has placed us—t he fellowship becomes mutual.
And such fellowship with our persecuted Christian family members becomes evident when
they tell us how our prayers have encouraged them.
Pastor Tashi spent f orty-n ine days in jail after being accused of accepting payment to spread
Christianity in the restricted nation of Bhutan. Christians throughout the world prayed for him
while he was in prison. When Tashi learned that Christians were praying for him, he and his
wife were greatly encouraged. “We felt somebody was there caring for us and standing behind
us,” he said.
And through prayer, we partner with them in proclaiming the gospel.
In Colombia, a hostile area, David and Gloria minister in one of the country’s “red zones”—
a reas controlled by violent guerrillas and paramilitaries. These groups specifically target
Christians because they refuse to support or join the militants, who are funded by narcotics
trafficking and other criminal activities. After sharing specific prayer requests for their ministry, Gloria said, “Thank you for going with us to these places. Through your prayers, we go
together. We don’t do this alone.”
How We Should Pray for the Persecuted
The persecution of our Christian family members will continue until Christ’s return. And until
that time, we should stand with them in prayer. Here are five essential ways to pray for persecuted Christians:
First, pray that they will sense God’s presence. In Hebrews 13:5, God promises that he will
never fail us or abandon us. He has promised us his presence. In the Great Commission, Christ
promises to be with us always as he sends us out as his witnesses, “even to the end of the age”
(Matthew 28:18-20). For persecuted Christians, God’s presence provides the encouragement
and strength that are vital to their witness for Christ on the world’s most dangerous mission
fields.
Second, pray they will know that the global body of Christ is praying for them. VOM workers hear firsthand how much persecuted Christians are encouraged when they learn that
Christians around the world are praying for them. Our persecuted brothers and sisters in
Christ need the same assurance that Paul gave Timothy: “Night and day I constantly remember
you in my prayers” (2 Timothy 1:3).
Third, pray that God will provide them with opportunities to share the gospel. In some of
the most restricted nations on earth, where even mentioning Jesus Christ can lead to arrest,
Christians need wisdom and help from the Lord in knowing when and how to share the gospel.
During one of his imprisonments, the apostle Paul asked the church in Colosse to pray with him
for such opportunities (Colossians 4:3).
Fourth, pray that when the Lord provides such opportunities to share the gospel, persecuted
