International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
November 8, 2009 by Lillie
Today is a day set aside to pray for the persecuted church. In the United States, we often take our religious freedom for granted, but around the world Christians are risking their lives just for being believers.
Learn more about persecution and what you can do to help:
- The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
- Voice of the Martyrs
- Open Doors
- International Christian Concern
You can find Scriptural guidance on praying for persecuted Christians at How to Pray for the Persecuted Church.
Look with pity, we beseech thee, O Lord, upon the sorrows of thy persecuted servants for whom our prayers are offered. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy; endue their souls with patience; strengthen them with thy power; comfort them with a sense of thy goodness; lift up thy countenance upon them, and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
It’s true that many Christians die because of what they believe, in ancient times and even today. We have to pray for them and also to those who spread the Good News today.
.-= Sam´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Sam,
Yes, we who enjoy religious freedom sometimes forget that in many parts of the world there is no such thing. Those who suffer for their faith need our prayers as do the unsaved.
I always find it disturbing when I read about some of the atrocities that take place overseas. I think you are right that it is very easy to get comfortable and take freedom of religion for granted, but for many people, there is no such thing.
It seems the International Christian Concern site provides a pretty comprehensive watchdog service, they should be commended. To be honest, I was not aware of the events on their front page.
.-= Steve@Lift Chairs´s last blog ..Choosing a Safe Standing Aid =-.
Steve,
ICC and Voice of the Martyrs both publish specific cases of persecution and ask for prayer on an ongoing basis. We remember those who are persecuted today in particular, but we need to pray for them always.
This is the first time i learn about the Persecuted Church and i can not believe that this persecution still exist in this civilized world.
In this case, I appreciate that our religion are majority in our country and we will not experience this matter.
lance,
You and I are blessed that we don’t suffer persecution, but we can never forget our brothers and sisters who are persecuted.
Me too.. This is my first time to learn the persecuted church. Our brothers and sisters who payed a huge price because of their loyalty to Jesus Christ
and the loved for him. They maybe abandoned by others but not by God.
Jason,
I’m glad my post alerted you to the fate of persecuted Christians. The more of us who are aware and who pray for them, the better.
It is kind of coincidence that I just finished the study on Beatitudes and the final beatitude was “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for their is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
I receive the newsletter from ‘Voice of Martyrs’ and its truly moving to read stories of Christians around the world.
The least, we can do is to pray for them.
.-= Chris@Bible Study Ideas´s last blog ..Persecuted for Righteousness: Beatitudes Bible Study Series – Part 8 of 8 =-.
Chris,
You’re right about the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter. The courage of so many of these persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ amazes and inspires me.
I think people in general, not just Christians are persecuted around the world. Buddhists in Thailand, Christians in India, Muslims in Israel, Jews also suffered greatly in the past.
Let us pray for all people around the world that peace and justice prevails.
Amen
Sam,
Excellent point. The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is specifically for Christians to pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters in the faith. I hope other groups focus on supporting their own who are being persecuted. Beyond that, we can and should all pray for everyone who suffers.
A very noble and worthy blog post Lillie. You are a true gem for posting this. My thoughts and prayers go out to all affected and hurting to this very moment.
Joel,
It’s so hard for most of us to imagine being tortured, especially for what we believe in.
Hi, first time here and found this site very informative. Like this post about the prayer. I have read your comment policy, You did well to mention it before the comment form.
Morgan,
I appreciate your reading the comment policy before commenting. Too many people don’t.
Lillie,
Having only ever been to churches only in Australia and South Korea, it is sometimes hard for me personally to remember what a gift it is to have the privilege of going to worship the lord without any serious concerns about safety.
I fully admire those within the brotherhood who brave persecution in order to attend worship and/or to spread the wonderful news about our savior, Jesus Christ, to those who may be yet to hear about his great name.
.-= Andrew´s last blog ..Timor sea oil spill – Sorry seems to be the hardest word =-.
Andrew,
It’s so easy for us to become complacent because we are so blessed. The first time I heard a speaker from Voice of the Martyrs, my eyes were opened to what many Christians face around the world.
Only in the US?? Why not here in Thailand too?
Larry,
I don’t quite understand your question. It is the INTERNATIONAL Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Thailand is certainly part of INTERNATIONAL, so the day applies everywhere in the world. The only thing I said about the US was that was sometimes our religious freedom for granted. I don’t know about Thailand. Do you have religious freedom and do you take it for granted? That’s not something desirable–I wish we in the US did not take our freedom for granted. I wish we appreciated it for the wonderful blessing it is. If I were in Thailand, I would wish the same thing for Thailand and definitely not want to be included with those countries like the US that don’t always appreciate what they have.