We believe in the power of prayer so we’re hugely grateful to you for interceding on behalf of our persecuted family this year.
Your prayers help sustain prisoners behind bars, bring comfort to those who mourn and remind those who are suffering that they are not alone. God is their refuge and strength – but He calls us to partner with Him as we encourage and intercede for the persecuted church.
It’s been another tough year for Christians in so many communities, but we are greatly encouraged by answered prayers and stories of God working in even the darkest of places.
We rejoice with Czech national Petr Jasek who was released from jail in Sudan in February after a presidential pardon overruled a life sentence for ‘spying’. Pastor Hassan Abduraheem and Abdulmonem Abdumawla, the two Sudanese men jailed with him, were released on appeal in May.
And our Iranian sister Maryam Naghash Zargaran was set free in August after more than four years behind bars, though she remains under tight surveillance.
Please pray for those who are still in custody, including some we prayed for a year ago such as Pastor Yang Hua in China and Asia Bibi in Pakistan. We remember the 173 Christians in Eritrea who have been in jail for more than ten years – and the many others arrested since April in a crackdown on Christians that coincided with our Pray 173 campaign.
These precious members of our family represent thousands of others who will spend Christmas away from their family, including Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh who has been missing since February. Thank you for holding them in your prayers.
At Christmas and other religious festivals, Christians can be even more vulnerable, as attacks in countries such as Egypt and Pakistan have proved. So please stand with us in praying for God to post His angels around our persecuted family worldwide – as we pray that the Prince of Peace will flood your heart and your home with joy this Christmas.
- Please pray that God Emmanuel will be close to those spending Christmas behind bars and to their families at home.
- Ask God to send His angels to protect congregations around the world as they worship Him. Pray that their joy and His love will transform their communities.
- Pray that God’s unfailing love will surround our persecuted family and that His hope will restore and strengthen them (Psalm 33:22).