Praying Expectantly

Interceding for the Persecuted Church

By Drew Davis

If all of your prayers were answered today, would your world be changed or would the world be changed? 

This question is not a litmus test for the validity or sufficiency of our prayers. Nor is it wrong to pray for the very real needs in our lives. However, I know I am guilty of thinking of myself first when I pray and focusing on my own needs over others. 

Over the past couple of years, I have become convicted of two things: my prayers are very self-centered and my prayers are very small. We have a BIG God who is doing BIG things all over this earth. Jesus told His disciples to be witnesses in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). There are people literally laying down their lives every single day so that the name of Jesus will be lifted high to all nations. 

God cares deeply about the trials of our lives and the struggles we have every day, but the persecution we face in the U.S. is minimal at best when compared to what our brothers and sisters are facing every day in other parts of the world. We must have a healthy perspective of what we are facing compared to what other believers are facing. 

Consider Cahya, whose friend was killed with acid for preaching the name of Jesus. Sam was arrested and interrogated for his faith and servant heart. Akamu lives every day wondering when the next bomb meant to kill him will go off. And Donté extracts believers from a hostile land to better disciple them. 

Praying Like the Early Church

How do we help our brothers and sisters in the midst of persecution? The opportunity to join with them is not likely, but we have a BIG God who is doing BIG things all over the earth. The best answer is to pray, and I think we can gain insight from the early church in Acts 4. 

In Acts 4, we get a glimpse of the persecution the early church faced and how they responded. When threatened and told to stop preaching the name of Jesus, Peter and John didn’t run away; they returned to their faith family. Just like then, we pray now because we are one family with one purpose: to exalt Christ and see Him exalted in all nations. And just like the church family prayed together in Acts 4, we remember that we’re praying to the “Sovereign Lord,” the One who is in control of all things. This is so valuable to know and be reminded of in the midst of persecution. 

What do we ask our sovereign God when the body of Christ faces persecution? That the oppression will stop? That God would punish those who afflict the Church? In Acts 4, they prayed for two specific things: that God would help them to preach the Gospel with boldness and that He would transform lives around them. This should be the focus of our prayers, too. We need to pray that the name of Christ would be exalted in all circumstances and that lives would be transformed through Him. 

Do we expect this? Do we expect that God will show up? The early church did in Acts 4. The earth literally shook when they prayed. When we pray, we should expect the world to change for the glory of God and expect the Spirit to move in His people to the nations. We should pray with expectation that lives would be transformed for His name’s sake. 

All names have been changed to protect Christians who are living in hostile regions. 

At Southeast there are three tangible ways you can pray for the persecuted church across the earth:

1. Daily Texts: Sign up to receive text alerts from our missionaries by texting "TenTwo" to 733733. 
2. Weekly Gathering: Pray for the nations every Monday night from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the Blankenbaker Campus. 
3. Monthly Multi-Nation Night of Prayer: The last Saturday of every month, from 8:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m., many people come together at the Blankenbaker Campus for an all-night gathering, earnestly praying for the glory of God to be made known throughout the world. Come and go as you like.