One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 8
FOREWORD
A6
Where Christians Are Persecuted
VOM serves persecuted Christians in almost seventy countries, most of which are identified as
either “restricted nations” or “hostile areas.” These terms will be used repeatedly in the daily
prayer prompts. VOM defines them as follows:
Restricted nations: Countries where g
overnment-sanctioned circumstances or a nti-
Christian laws lead to Christians being harassed, imprisoned, killed, or deprived of
possessions or liberties because of their witness. Also included are countries where
government policy or practice prevents Christians from obtaining Bibles or other
Christian literature. Christians in restricted nations often also experience persecution from family, community members, and/or political groups; VOM refers to such
acts as “hostile” toward Christian witness. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and North
Korea are examples of restricted nations.
Hostile areas: Nations or large areas of nations where governments may attempt to
provide protection for the Christian population but Christians are still routinely persecuted by family, friends, neighbors, or political groups because of their witness.
India, Nigeria, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Nepal are examples of hostile areas.
Some countries where VOM works are considered “areas of concern.” In these countries,
Christian outreach is opposed by extremist activity, intense community pressure, or authoritarian governments or laws. If the frequency and severity of persecution increase in an area
of concern, the country’s designation is changed to either a restricted nation or a hostile area.
Why We Pray for the Persecuted
We can grow weary from the suffering in our own lives and the horrors we observe in our
fallen world, especially when we consider the ongoing struggles of persecuted Christians.
And if unchecked, this weariness can cause us to doubt God and develop the spiritual illness
of despair. To overcome despair, we must learn to value and embrace two unlovely things: suffering and shame.
We instinctively avoid suffering. As we maximize our safety and comfort, we are tempted to
avoid not only our own suffering but also that of others. Yet suffering and sacrifice are the very
pathways to maturity, wellness, and significance. Similarly, nearly all of us say we value humility, yet we avoid experiences that help develop it—shame, reproach, and disgrace.
As Christians, we must make the unnatural decision to embrace suffering and shame. We
cannot become like Christ without doing so. Christ Jesus our Lord “was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3, emphasis added).
We can easily feel overwhelmed by the profound suffering of our persecuted Christian
brothers and sisters, who are beaten, imprisoned, or murdered. But this is part of becoming
like the “man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.” As we choose to suffer well for God’s
glory and embrace the suffering of the global body of Christ, we become like Christ.
Praying for our persecuted Christian family members is one way to embrace their suffering.
And when we embrace their suffering, we enter into fellowship with them.
When John was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for his
testimony about Jesus, he wrote a letter to the seven churches in the province of Asia, saying,
“I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient
endurance to which Jesus calls us” (Revelation 1:9, emphasis added).
Persecuted Christians are members of our spiritual family in the global body of Christ. As
