Sunday is the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, for the brothers and sisters in Christ "who share our faith, but not our freedoms." Bearing in mind that on average last year, 15 Christians were killed every day, the goal of the global event is to bring comfort to the broken-hearted and strength to the weary.
Carol, a spokeswoman for Spirit of Martyrdom, explains that Open Doors USA, which is now Global Christian Relief, has compiled a list of the world's worst persecutors.
"According to their website, more than 360 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution for their faith last year, and over 5,500 were killed," she relays.
The Bible tells believers to pray for those who are mistreated as if we ourselves are mistreated (Heb. 13:3) and that if one member of the body suffers, we all suffer (1 Cor. 12:26), and Carol submits that prayer is vital to curbing persecution.
"You can pray just yourself," she suggests regarding Sunday. "God hears every prayer, and every prayer is effective if it's put before him with a clean heart. So, you can start with yourself. You can invite a prayer team that you participate with or a Bible study. If you like talking to a whole bunch of people, you can even get a few minutes or a whole church service."
According to organizations that minister to the persecuted, the number-one request is for prayer.
The Voice of the Martyrs features an interactive map that provides details about the countries where Christians are persecuted to equip believers with specific ways they can pray for the people there.
