Pray for the Persecuted

31st January - 6th February

Each week until Easter, please join us in prayer for brothers and sisters living in the top 10 most dangerous places to be a Christian. We will focus our prayers each week on those living in different persecuted nations around the world. Across the globe, more than 340 million Christians - one in every eight believers - experience high levels of persecution, just for following Jesus. We ought not to be surprised when we are persecuted because Jesus said that it would happen. In fact, many brothers and sisters around the world count it a privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus - because they are following in the way of their Lord.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. (John 15:19-20)

2. Afghanistan

Persecution type: Clan and ethnic antagonism

Estimated number of Christians: Possibly hundreds

How Christians are suffering: It is impossible to live openly as a Christian in Afghanistan. Converts potentially face murder at the hands of relatives, zealous Muslims, or the Taliban which controls parts of the country. Both the constitution and laws of Afghanistan make being a Christian illegal. However, often it is not the courts or the Government unleashing the harshest punishments but the families of believers themselves. If a Christian’s family discovers they have converted, their family, clan or tribe has to save its ‘honour’ by disowning the believer, or even killing them. Christians from a Muslim background can also be sectioned in a psychiatric hospital, because leaving Islam is considered a sign of insanity. 

Since the war in Afghanistan, there have been many refugees who have sought asylum in other countries and many Afghan believers have fled to other countries. However, between 2015 and 2017, more than 9,000 Afghan asylum seekers, some of whom were Christians, have been deported back to Afghanistan from Europe.

Prayer: Lord, we confess that there are times when we do not openly let people know that we are Christians. Yet we cannot imagine what it is like to have to keep our faith a secret or face losing our lives. We cannot imagine the isolation that brothers and sisters face as they seek to follow Jesus in secret. We pray that despite their isolation, Afghan believers would be strengthened and encouraged in their faith. We pray they would find safe ways to access the Word of God and communicate with other believers , particularly through Christian radio and internet ministries. Lord, would you please shield Afghan believers wherever they are in the world. And would you work through ongoing peace talks to bring peace and greater safety for believers. Amen.

More information

Open Doors: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/afghanistan/

Barnabas Fund: https://barnabasfund.org/countries/Afghanistan/

If you would like to pray as a family, then Open Doors have a free World Watch List pack for children and you can set off together on a journey of prayer through the year. Each week, children can colour in a flag in the prayer passport, pray for that country and put a sticker on that country on the map. These can be ordered from https://www.opendoorsuk.org/products/product/wwl-21-childrens-pack

This post is based on a very helpful blog post by Joe Carter, editor for The Gospel Coalition, entitled "The Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2021"