Pray for persecuted Christians

handcuffs manRecently, on the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, Christians remembered and prayed for fellow believers who are suffering persecution in many countries in the world. Sadly, 1 out of every 9 Christians in the world is being persecuted for their faith in Christ.

God has called us to regularly reach out to them with compassionate, empathetic prayer because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” (Heb. 13:3)

Here are seven practical ideas for how you can do this:

1. Check out the World Watch List of the 50 countries where persecution is the worst, read the descriptions of persecution in these places, and pray for the suggested prayer requests.
2. Read the informative article “9 Things You Should Know about Global Persecution of Christians.”
3. Open Doors explains practical steps we can take to help persecuted Christians.
4. Include prayer for persecuted Christians in your personal devotional times. See ideas 6 and 7 below.
5. Encourage your family, including your children, to pray for persecuted Christians. The very practical article “The Global Church Starts at My Dinner Table” explains how to incorporate prayer for the persecuted at your family devotional times. The author says she and her husband bring at least three books to their family worship – the Bible, a hymnal, and an atlas.
6. Subscribe to the "Standing Strong through the Storm" daily devotional sent via email. Or use the monthly "Prayer Force Alert," a list of short daily prayer requests that you can receive in the mail or access online.
7. Request a free copy of Voice of the Martyr’s Global Prayer Guide to help you pray for persecuted Christians throughout the year.

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