For the suffering Church

For Christians who cannot pray this openly.

More Christians are persecuted for their faith today than at most points in history — in the Middle East, in parts of Africa and Asia, in places where a Bible is contraband and a church is a target. This prayer is for them, prayed by those of us who risk nothing by praying it.

The Prayer

Lord Jesus, You were arrested, tried and executed,
and You told us to expect the same.

We pray for our brothers and sisters who are paying for their faith:
those in prison, those in hiding,
those whose churches have been burned,
those who have buried their families and stayed.

Give them courage that does not depend on rescue.
Give them Your presence, since they cannot always have the sacraments.

For those who persecute them: convert them, Lord.
You did it with Saul, on a road, in an afternoon.

And shame us, who have every freedom to practise our faith
and so often cannot be bothered. Amen.

What Can Be Done

• Pray, by name, for a specific country each week.
• Support organisations that aid the persecuted Church — Aid to the Church in Need, Open Doors and diocesan appeals.
• Raise it with your elected representatives; religious freedom is a political question as well as a spiritual one.
• Do not let it become background noise.

About This Prayer

The last line is not rhetorical. The Church grows fastest where it costs most, and shrinks in comfort. That is not an argument for persecution; it is a question about what we do with freedom.