Prayer - Going Where We Can Not
Praying for believers in persecution.
A couple of weeks ago it was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Prayer for our Brothers and Sisters is not limited to just one day.
The Lord commands us to stand with and support our brothers and sisters in persecution. “….There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it (1 Corinthians 12: 25,26).”
Prayer is the primary weapon in the Christian’s armoury to fight the spiritual battle. Brother Andrew once said, “Our prayers can go where we cannot... there are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.”
Did you know that right now:
More than 290 million Christians face persecution around the world every day for their faith, your faith, my faith, our shared faith!
11 Christians die every day for refusing to deny Jesus
More than 100 million Christians are highly traumatised.
Only around 13% of those dear believers will have access to any kind of counselling or psychiatric care.
But you can help care for them, lift their spirits and give them hope by pleading with God for them. We are asked to “pray for those in chains as if we are in chains with them, remembering those who suffer like we are also suffering (Hebrews 13:3)
So, at Project114 we suggest three practical ways you can stand with your brothers and sisters each and every day.
1. Pause at least for today and stop being so worried about one or maybe two pieces of legislation in our country that could be anti-Christian. 70% of Christians around the world live in countries where almost every piece of legislation is anti-Christian.
2. Pray like you would pray if you just found out that your parents had been thrown into solitary confinement for the Gospel and you may never see them again.
3. Plead with God for your brothers and sisters just like they were your own flesh and blood, pray for them like you were in the cell next to them and you lay awake hearing their heartbreaking cries, pray for them like you could reach out your hands through those cold rusty bars and give them a cup of water, or catch their tears.
4. Beg to God for them like you were right there cradling them in your arms and wiping away the blood from their wounds.
The apostle Paul knew that when we pray for other believers
in suffering, we become partners with the Holy Spirit in strengthening them and giving them comfort and hope and deliverance.
Paul says “…I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance…” Philippians 1:19
Paul also believed that the prayers of God’s people gave him boldness.
“Pray for me so that while I am in chains, I would speak the Gospel boldly as I should (Colossians 4:4)”
Simon Rattray