Many Christians around the world today are threatened with attacks, loss of their possessions & property, prison, and even death for living their lives for Jesus. This is called “persecution”, and it affects about 200 million Christians around the world today.
Maybe none of us has ever experienced persecution on this scale, but 1 in 11 Christians around the world faces persecution every day.
Imagine the amount of faith in Jesus, and courage from His Holy Spirit it must take to live in a place where your neighbors or the government are openly hostile toward your faith in Jesus…
Millions of our brothers and sisters around the world are facing this right now, every day. And we can lift up courageous prayers for them.
One of Jesus’ closest followers in the 1st Century A.D. was a man named Paul, and he was mocked, beaten, arrested, stoned, and thrown into prison for his faith in Jesus.
Paul faithfully did three things whenever he was put in prison:
First, he prayed. He prayed fervent, faith-filled prayers for the followers of Jesus around the world.
Second, Paul courageously shared his faith in Jesus with his jailers and with his fellow prisoners.
And third, Paul wrote letters of encouragement & instruction to the different churches scattered around the world at that time.
The Book of Colossians in the New Testament is a letter that Paul wrote while he was being held in prison.
In it, he wrote, “pray for me… and remember my chains” (Colossians 4:3,18).
Let me ask you this question: do you consider prayer to be courageous? Why or why not?
And here’s another question for you, around this topic of persecution and courage: If Christians are doing what is pleasing to God, why does God allow them to suffer persecution?
Or said another way: What good could come from persecution? How might God use the realities of persecution and Christian suffering for eternal and good purposes?
Throughout the Bible, God instructs us to pray courageously:
• Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gave us direct access to God! (Luke 23:45; Eph 2:13-14; Col 1:22)
• He wants us to use that direct access to God through the blood of Jesus to pray faith-filled prayers, full of fervor and trust in our mighty and loving Father. (Rom 12:11-12; Eph 3:12; James 1:5-8, 5:13-18)
• He also promises to help us pray courageously, by cooperating with His Spirit within us. (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9-11,14-17,26-27)
You and I have a chance to pray courageous, faith-filled prayers now for our persecuted brothers & sisters around the world!
Start by asking God to help you know what to pray and how to pray for the persecuted Church. Imagine you lived in a place that was hostile towards Christian faith… Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you imagine…
Now begin praying for the persecuted Christians living in the types of circumstances you are imagining today. Just, whatever words, phrases, thoughts, or feelings come into your mind or heart right now – just describe those to God. That is your prayer language.
Pray with courage! Pray with faith. Pray knowing the our Savior Jesus has granted you access to the Presence of God by His perfect sacrifice.
Pray trusting the Holy Spirit of God will guide you. And pray as if dear friends you will spend eternity with are suffering now – because they are. And your compassionate and courageous prayers on their behalf matter.
