“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” Revelation 2:10 (NIV)
Only days ago, news broke about the horrific slaughter of 70 Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fox News reported that they were beheaded in a church by ISIS-aligned militants and that the world is mostly silent.
This massacre most likely occurred on February 13. On a morning when most of us woke up, drank our coffee, and got ready for work, 70 men, women, and children were forced out of their homes and bound in a church.
For us, it was just another day. For them, it was the day they laid down their lives for Jesus.
Sadly, this is not a one-time occurrence. Extreme persecution of Christians happens around the world every single day. According to Open Doors, more than 380 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. That means 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide.
The magnitude of this tragedy should compel us to one thing: prayer. For those of us who live in countries where we do not face the threat of physical persecution for our faith, it is easy to forget the millions of our brothers and sisters who face imprisonment, torture, family disownment, and death on a daily basis.
Their faith is not comfortable. Their faith is costly. For some, it cost them everything.
A Fox News article reported on the persecution in the DRC:
Local Christians are said to be in despair. “We don’t know what to do or how to pray; we’ve had enough of massacres,” an elder of the local CECA20 church told reporters. “May God’s will alone be done.”
In honor of the 70 Christians who gave their lives for Jesus in the DRC, may we be compelled to our knees to pray for the persecuted.
Here are three ways to pray:
- Pray for divine protection and for the forces of darkness to be disarmed.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” — 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 - Pray for the advancement of Bible translation projects in persecuted countries.
Having access to God’s Word is imperative for believers to be encouraged and strengthened in their faith.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12 - Pray for God to change the hearts of the persecutors.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:43-45
Though we cannot rescue our brothers and sisters from persecution, we can link arms with them through our prayers. We encourage you to share this article with a friend and invite them to pray with you. Though most of the world may be silent about the horrors happening to Christians, we refuse to be silent. We will raise our voices to the Lord over all, asking Him to bring comfort, strength, and perseverance to His followers who are under fire.
What is Pray for Zero?
We are a movement to see zero people without Scripture in their language by 2033 through the power of unceasing, global prayer.
We seek to encourage believers in their walk with the Lord, while also equipping you with tools to pray for the Bibleless. Learn more and join our movement of 61,000+ prayer warriors here.
As part of your daily time with God, you can pray through our weekly Prayer Journal where we share specific stories and prayer requests from around the world related to Bible translation. Subscribe to receive the Prayer Journal weekly in your inbox here.
