Pray for the Persecuted
14th - 20th February 2021
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. Jesus said,
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)
4. Libya
Persecution type: Islamic oppression
Estimated number of Christians: 34,500
How Christians are suffering: The Christian presence is mainly comprised of foreign migrant workers and refugees, but there are also a small number of indigenous Libyan converts. Sharing your faith publicly is illegal in Libya, and those who try to share their Christian faith with others risk violent opposition and arrest. Without a central government, the country is effectively in a state of lawless anarchy. There is little chance of legal justice when Christians are attacked or killed and Islamists target Christians for killing, kidnap, forceful conversion and sale in “modern-day slave markets”.
Prayer: Father, we pray for new converts who have been baptised in Libya. Pray that they will find a group of believers to join—and rejoice that they have found Jesus. Lord, please protect your children, especially those who have converted from Islam. We pray for an end to the modern-day slavery of migrants and we ask for lasting peace, justice and stability. Lord, we ask for your blessing on Libya and those who follow You there and ask that you please give strength and perseverance to those who cannot publicly praise You or have any semblance of church life. Protect them from violence and kidnapping, and change the hearts of those who them. Amen.
More information
Open Doors: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/libya/?
Barnabas Fund: https://barnabasfund.org/countries/Libya/
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"