Praying For The Persecuted
Blessed are you when
they revile and persecute you… (Matthew 5:11); if they persecuted Me, they will
also persecute you…(John 15:20); rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven
is great…(Matthew 5:12)
On a daily basis, I
find this exhortation hard, if not impossible, to live out. Not because I don’t want to, but because,
frankly, I don’t need to. Living in the United States ,
I’m not assaulted or imprisoned because of my relationship with Jesus
Christ. A smirk here, a little ridicule
there, that’s about all. But it’s not
that way for our brothers and sisters in other places. As we watch the horrible ISIS persecution and
the threats posed in the Middle East , it
causes us to realize that persecution is a reality in every century. Yet it is on the increase.
More Christians have
been killed in the past 100 years than in the first 19 centuries of the Church.
And today, across the globe, hundreds of believers will be killed, some
churches will be burned, and many hundreds more will be tortured, beaten, and
imprisoned- not because of economic or political reasons, but because of their
love for Jesus Christ.
In some places in the
Middle East , the Arabic letter “N” will be
marked on their doorpost standing for a “Nazarene” residence. At that point, those individuals and families
will become fair game for persecution from Islam and other groups who are given
carte blanche to hurt, harm, and kill.
The Lord commanded us
to “remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those
who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3)
Therefore, we need to set apart days like these (and seasons) as special prayer
times for the persecuted church around the world. We are even taking a few extra moments on
Sunday evening, November 2nd from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. The Bible
clearly notes that, like groundswells of an earthquake or birth pangs leading
toward delivery, the persecution of the Church will increase in greater
measure. But our praying, we trust, will
not be limited. As we begin, you might
note these ways God has led His people to pray in times of affliction:
1. Ask God to cause good to come from evil
Only Jesus can fully do that, as Joseph (Genesis 50:20) and
Paul and Silas discovered (Acts 16:16-34).
This life, for people who die without Jesus, is their eternal
high-point; but for those who will live eternally with Jesus, this life is the
soon-forgotten low-point of eternity.
2. Ask God to purify His Church so they can do
mighty exploits
Our circumstances press us to make vital decisions; accept
His rulership, and rise to do mighty exploits, or reject His rulership and
expose our self-corruption (II Chronicles 33:1-17; Daniel 11:32-35 ; Matthew 5:16 ).
3. Ask God to grant His Church boldness to preach
His Word, miraculously
Jesus reveals the reality of His presence and He proves the
reliability of His promises through the testimonies and the works of His people
(Acts 4:24-34; Revelation 12:11 ;
II Chronicles 16:9).
4. Ask God to move on the rulers of nations to
promote peace, righteousness, and justice
Jesus requires us to pray for such rulers (I Timothy
2:1-7). Nations where these atrocities
are more severe are China , Cuba , Laos ,
Vietnam , North Korea , Uzbekistan ,
Sudan , Syria , Saudi
Arabia , Egypt ,
Nigeria , Pakistan , Indonesia ,
Iran , and Sri Lanka .
Blessed are you, as you pray for the persecuted.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1. Why do we struggle to
understand persecution in the United
States
2. How does praying for others being
persecuted change us?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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