The Blog

First of all I want to thank Zachariah Koshy for sharing an article written by J. Lee, in which he talks about the pressing issues that Christians face in ISIS occupied regions. How do we react to these horrific incidents?

Although one might find it difficult to not hold any resentment against Islamic militants, as followers of Christ we should never pray with a vengeful spirit. Not only should we pray for the oppressed but we must also pray for the oppressor. I will summarize Lee’s article and give 5 ways we can pray for them:

• Pray that persecuted Christians will not be intimidated or silenced by acts of terror. Christianity in its early era went through a lot of oppression but that didn’t stop the disciples from sharing the gospel. They announced: “We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). We must also pray for boldness to be witnesses of the gospel in the midst of persecution
• Pray that God will reveal his glory to the militants. When the early church faced opposition, they prayed not only for boldness but also for a display of God’s power. They prayed in unity in Acts 4:29-30: “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that your bondservants may speak your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
• Pray that the faith of the martyrs will impact the militants and they turn to Jesus. When an angry crowd stoned Stephen, the first martyr of the early church, he cried out on his knees: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60). His death was tragic, but it was not in vain. A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit followed his martyrdom. When a born again Christian gives his or her life for Jesus, God takes note and responds. This could be the greatest hour of spiritual awakening in the Middle East.
• Pray for conviction to fall on those who persecute the church. If you look into the life of Saul (who later became Paul), he was a religious terrorist. He persecuted Christians and watched as Stephen was martyred. Yet shortly after Saul launched his terror campaign, he fell on his face on the Damascus road and was dramatically converted (read Acts 9). This same miracle can happen today. Don’t limit God’s power—and don’t pray vindictive prayers of judgment on these people. Pray that the most militant persecutors of the church will have a head-on collision with the Son of God.
• Pray for a divine intervention. In Acts 12 we read that the night before Peter’s trail, as he was sleeping in his prison cell, an angel of the Lord opened the iron gates and unbound his chains and rescued him from Herod’s clutches. We must pray for such a miracle for all the Christians in bondage and captivity.