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International Day Of Prayer With The Persecuted Church

Your Prayer Guide

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THE POWER OF PRAYER

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“ If we understood the potential power of our prayers, we would be on our knees a hundred times a day asking God for things that would turn the world upside down.”

Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors.

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The Church is strengthened and the world changes in powerful ways when you pray.

On Sunday 7 November, the Church will unite as the one body of Christ to pray for persecuted Christians – those who share our faith, but not our freedom.

Inside these pages, you will find ways to pray with our persecuted brothers and sisters as they continue to follow Jesus, no matter the cost.

You can read stories of those following Jesus in countries hostile to Christians, or jump to the latest prayer requests straight from the field by scanning the QR code on page 9.

The world needs a unified, praying Church now more than ever. Thank you for joining us in prayer.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING WITH THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

PRAY: FOR SECRET BELIEVERS

– Pray God will equip secret believers in the most dangerous places with the conviction and courage to follow Him, no matter the cost.

– Pray God will protect secret believers risking their lives to know and share of His love.

– Pray for wisdom and spiritual maturity over pastors leading underground churches.

– Praise God for the secret believers risking violence, discrimination, and arrest for following Jesus.

SAGHAR’S STORYPowerful Prayers For Miracles

Saghar was the pastor of a house church raided by Iranian police. If arrested, she would end up in Iran’s most infamous prison.

As the police forced the church door open, Saghar was terrified. She asked a police officer if she could go to the bathroom.

There, she sent out a desperate plea to the outside world, saying, “Please pray for us, our church is being raided!”

Soon after, Saghar discovered that the police had no warrant for her arrest. Without it, they couldn’t arrest her, but she knew they would be back.

So, she fled to the airport. Miraculously, her plane took off moments before her arrest warrant reached airport security.

When asked how the global Church could support persecuted believers, Saghar said,

“ No Christian should face persecution unprepared, and no Christian should go through it without prayer from the worldwide Church.”

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PRAY: FOR WOMEN

– Pray for peace over women like Ativi who have experienced persecution and trauma.

– Pray for perseverance over women forced to follow Jesus in secret for fear of violence from their families.

– Pray for women in places where their gender makes them doubly vulnerable to persecution.

– Praise God that He is using brave women to share the gospel and strengthen His Church in some of the most dangerous places.

ATIVI’S STORYPowerful Prayers For Hope

Ativi’s life was turned upside down when members of the extremist group, Boko Haram, attacked her village in Nigeria.

She was forced to flee for her life, leaving everything she knew behind. But even when she returned, nothing felt the same. Ativi had nothing left, and the trauma she had experienced left her struggling to cope.

Then, Ativi came across Open Doors’ local partners, who ran livelihood training and trauma counselling for women rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of extremist attacks.

She learnt to sew, build relationships with customers, and found healing after the trauma she’d experienced.

In many places, women are the backbone of Christian communities, and are often left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of persecution. Please pray for persecuted women.

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PRAY: FOR CHILDREN

– Pray that children affected by persecution will know God’s love for them.

– Pray that God will strengthen children of the persecuted church to become faithful, servant-hearted believers, no matter the cost.

– Pray that God will equip parents with wisdom to teach their children to follow Jesus.

– Praise God that He is making a way for children like Sebastian to receive the care they need.

SEBASTIAN’S STORYPowerful Prayers For The Next Generation

Five-year-old Sebastian was helping his mum at home when he heard two gunshots ringing through the streets. His father had been shot.

Sebastian’s dad was a pastor in their gang-controlled neighbourhood. Criminals killed him as a warning to other Christians.

“Sebastian cries and often says things like,

‘I don’t want anything to happen to you, because I’d be left alone,’” his mum said.

Fortunately, Sebastian was able to attend a children’s centre in Colombia that provided trauma care for his family. Here, Sebastian could finally play, laugh, and meet other children in safety.

Many more children like Sebastian face trauma because of their family’s faith. They need the prayers of the global body of Christ to strengthen them as they rise to become the next generation of faith.

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A MESSAGE FROM A PERSECUTED CHRISTIAN Powerful Prayers For The Church

In a world of constant change and challenge, knowing how to pray can be hard. A local friend from Afghanistan recently shared with us how we can pray with persecuted Christians all over the world when we feel we don’t have the words.

“Pray for the Esthers, that they can provide protection for the one they love. Pray for the Samuels, who may hear God’s voice calling out to them. Pray that they will say, ‘Here I am, Lord’.

“Pray for the Christian Davids, men with a warrior heart. Pray for the Lydias, faithful women serving the Church. Pray for the Abrahams leading their families. Pray for the Noahs, Daniels, Ruths, Naomis, Peters, Pauls, Marys and Marthas.

“Pray the Psalms of praise and the Psalms of lament. Pray the desperate words of Job and the comforting words of Jesus on the mount. Pray for visions of Jesus on the cross and visions of Jesus in heaven, welcoming those who have conquered the world.”

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PRAY NOW WITH LIVE PRAYER REQUESTS FROM THE FIELD

Scan the QR code or visit opendoors.org.au/recent to view the page.

See the latest prayer requests straight from persecuted Christians on our live prayer page. This page will connect you to the persecuted church, and help you pray specifically for what they are facing right now.

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YOU CAN STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH

Thank you for standing with the persecuted church in prayer.

Discover more of our work with persecuted Christians in the most dangerous places to follow Jesus.

Visit opendoors.org.au/discover