Pray for the Persecuted

28th February - 6th March 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.

King David's words in Psalm 27 are well known to us; we read them and sing them often. But it is one thing to sing that we are those who fear no-one and a different thing to live it out when there are people around you who threaten your life. That situation is made is even harder when some Christians face greater persecution than others depending on what church they belong to - this is the case in Eritrea.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

6. Eritrea

Persecution type: Christian denominational protectionism

Estimated number of Christians: 2,552,000

How Christians are suffering: Only three Christian denominations – Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran – are legally permitted by Eritrea’s government. Even Christians who belong to these churches still face persecution. However, Christians from non-traditional denominations face the harshest persecution in Eritrea, both from the government and, tragically, even from the Eritrean Orthodox Church (EOC). The EOC is tightly controlled by those in power.?

Government security forces monitor phone calls, scrutinise?activity and conduct countless raids which target Christians, seize Christian materials and damage house churches. Christians can be arrested and imprisoned without trial. Many Christians are held in inhumane prisons because of their faith, and their loved ones often do not know where they are or even if they are still alive. Pastors and theological students often face the harshest sentences as a deterrent to others.

Just a month ago, the Eritrean Government released 70 Christian prisoners (27 female and 43 male). Many of them had been detained in a high-security military detention facility, which consists of underground cells and cells made from metal shipping containers. Most of the prisoners had been arrested 6 months ago and had been held without trial. Some of those released had been incarcerated for much longer with some having been held for 12 years.

Prayer: Father, we give thanks for those sisters and brothers who have been released from prison in the past month. Lord, would you help them to find their families and be reconnected with them, especially since some of their families may have fled the country. Would you help them to continue to follow your Son despite the threat of re-arrest and might you bring healing to their bodies and minds given the torture they will have experienced. Might their imprisonment embolden them in their faith in a way that we cannot understand but yet we know is possible by your power. Father, would you convict those in the permitted churches to stand up for the rights of those who are part of unrecognised churches. Would you give them influence in the Government and enable them to use that influence to bring about change for the good of persecuted Christians. Lord, where there is fear would you bring your presence; where there is abuse bring your justice; and where there is darkness bring your light and salvation. Amen.

More information

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

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

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"