The edges of God’s Kingdom are often found in difficult and dangerous regions where we find the persecuted church. As Christians, we can expect some level of persecution because we live in a fallen world. First John 5:19 reminds us, “The whole world is under the control of the evil one.” First Peter 5:8 also says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Undoubtedly, prayer is a crucial tool in living a victorious life.
Open Doors, a ministry serving Christians worldwide, defines Christian persecution as “any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Jesus Christ.” When we refer to the “persecuted church,” we usually refer to those Christians and churches that face the most intense and consistent levels of persecution. Examples of persecution are physical and verbal abuse, imprisonment, kidnappings, destruction of property, and even torture and murder. The Open Doors World Watch List is compiled annually and ranks the Top 50 countries where Christians face the worst persecution for their faith in Jesus.
Hebrews 13:3 exhorts us to “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” The persecuted church is composed of our brothers and sisters. Our prayers for the persecuted church allow them to be bold, faithful, and strategic in their work to expand God’s Kingdom.
Recently, I was at a meeting with leaders serving in Iran, Turkey, and Syria. I heard from many of them that prayer has been vital to the growth of the Iranian church. In the 1950s, a group of believers met every night for four years to pray for Iran’s millions of lost people. Today, God is writing an amazing story in Iran that can be summarized in two sentences: Persecution threatened to wipe out Iran’s tiny church. Instead, that church has become the fastest growing in the world, influencing the region for Christ. With faithful intercession, Iran can become a strategic missionary-sending nation to the Middle East and beyond.
Let us pray boldly and consistently for the persecuted church! I encourage you to use the sample prayers provided when praying for the persecuted church.
“Our prayers can go where we cannot. There are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed when we pray.” — Brother Andrew
by Missions Director Trusha Barner
