Some of you may have recognised International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church last weekend, or possibly you are looking to acknowledge it this weekend, as it is held on either the 1st or 2nd Sunday of November.
Globally, one in seven Christians live in places where they face a high level of persecution for their faith and for more than two decades, the World Evangelical Alliance has organised the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) as a global event that unites millions of Christians in prayer for the persecuted Church.
In many parts of the world, every day, Christians are harassed, discriminated against, wrongfully imprisoned, and even killed because of their faith. According to the World Watch List for Christian persecution, over 5000 people were killed in 2021 just because of their faith in Jesus.
This is a staggering number and affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide as they work through the death of loved ones and the toll on their communities.
Sadly, Christian persecution is on the rise world over and today, more than 360 million Christians live in places where they face high levels of persecution.
The IDOP have created a range of resources which are designed to help you effectively pray for the persecuted church and Brian F. O’Connell has written about the background and history of the IDOP which has become important within the life of the global evangelical church.
The Voice of the Martyrs’ have released the below video for this years IDOP which tells the story of a Nigerian woman who watched helplessly with her daughter as Boko Haram militants killed her husband and son, and burned her home.
May this video inspire you to pray for those who trust in God’s Word as they live faithfully for Christ on the world’s most difficult and dangerous mission fields.
Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors says that “If we understood the potential power of our prayers, we would be on our knees a hundred times a day, asking Him for things that would turn the word upside-down.”
James 5:16b says that “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (New International Version)
So, please take a moment now to pray for the persecuted church and stand with those that have been affected by harassment, discrimination, wrongful imprisonment, and have even been killed because of their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives.
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