Welcome to Daily Prayer with myself, Reverend Ben Cooper, recorded live here in London, England, where faith meets the world in daily devotion and global hope. This is your five-minute commuted prayer, quick moments of faith to get us through the rest of the day. How are you feeling today? I pray that the Spirit of the Living God will
be over you. And brother and sister, if you find that these prayers are blessing you, please tap the follow-in button on Apple, Spotify, and Buzz Brown and just leave us just a quick short review. The love of God is over your life, and we're in prayer today. We are in prayer, and there is nothing like the power of prayer. Do you need courage? Do you need hope? Do you need anxiety to go? Do you need to stop
worrying? You know, we are going to pray now for the persecuted church. If we focus for these few moments on the persecuted church, faith under fire.
We're going to go to the scripture and we're going to go to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 8 through to 9. I'm going to read from the NIV in a moment, but let's ask God to give us a settle heart at this moment. Father, we come to you right now and settle our heart. Lord, as we pray, dear God, for our brothers and sisters around the world as their faith is under fire, the persecuted church. Father, we speak this word into their lives. Lord, we speak 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 8 through to 9. And when hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not despaired, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. Oh my Lord, Father, what a scripture that is. Lord, I want to pray that again. I want to speak that again over the brothers and the sisters, wherever they are across the world. But Lord, I want to tell the world today that we are all persecuted in certain eras of our lives. And Lord, we want to speak this word of hope. We want to speak this word over the persecuted church, over the whispering church, over the church, dear God, that is being silent. Lord, we pray for that church today. We pray for the church that gathers in secret, the whispering church, the church that is capturing the heartbeat of God, the church that is on run for its faith. So Lord, we speak 2 Corinthians
chapter 4, verses 8 through to 9. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. Perplexed, but we are not in despair. Persecuted but not abandoned. Struck down but not destroyed. Father, I thank you for that scripture. We thank you that the persecuted church is not destroyed. Lord, I want to thank you right now that it might be struck down, but it's not abandoned. I want to thank you, dear God, that it's perplexed, but it is not in despair. I want to thank you, dear God, that it's pressed on every side, but it is not crushed. I believe that the persecuted Christian, wherever they are across the world, is rising in faith today. Lord, we pray, dear God, for the believers that live their lives in silent faith. Lord, we pray as they live in dangerous territories. We pray that the scriptures will come alive. And wherever they are, from Cairo, dear God, to Eastan Bull, from East Anball to Beijing, from Beijing, dear God, we pray for China. Lord God, Romania, Russia. We pray for these areas, dear God, of Japan. We pray, dear God, for Hong Kong. We ask you, Lord, for Eritrea. We pray for these areas of persecution, Lord, for Christians that are on their run, that are facing imminent, dear God, looking over their shoulder, running away from surveillance, imprisonment. Lord, we pray for the regions that are being chased down, Father God. We pray for the areas, dear God, from the rivers to the mountains, from the mountains to the shorelines. We pray right now for the whispering prayers that they hold on to hope, that they trust in God in extreme pressure. We want to pray today for the persecuted, the secret church, the silent believers.
We pray for their families that are following Jesus right now. Their families are under threat. Their life, their home is under threat. Holy Spirit, strengthen the faithful that are persevering as witnesses of God in dark places. Lord, we are asking you right now. We are praying for protection for the secret believers. We're praying for courage, dear God. We're praying for the hand of God, the mercy of God. Lord, we believe in the power of the word. We believe that you are blessing the persecuted church wherever they are across this world. Father, we ask you that you will strengthen the persecuted believers, those that are hoping in God, those that feel like they've been abandoned. Father, we thank you that they're not abandoned, they're walking in the power of God. Father, we ask you that the persecuted church, the underground church, the secret church, the whispering church, as it looks for the face of God in the face of adversity, as it looks, dear God, as their faith is under fire, as they are holding on to the word of God for every ounce of energy. Father, we thank you that they are not abandoned, they are not crushed, and they are not perplexed.
Dear God, I pray that the joy of the Lord will be their strength. Until tomorrow, let the Spirit, let the power, let the love of Jesus Christ be over your hearts. May God rest on you today in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Until tomorrow.