Christians Under Siege Need Our Prayers

The economy and the presidential election have grabbed the headlines the last few months.

But let’s not forget those Christians in restrictive countries like North Korea who have been suffering for years…..enslaved by totalitarian governments and caught in the crosshairs of fanatic terrorists.

In my journeys to meet with faithful believers around the world, the number one request of most Christians is this: please pray for me. It’s not to take away the persecution but to remember them with on-going, fervent prayer that they would remain strong.

Vaisha, whose husband was executed by extremists in India, is being helped by my co-workers at Open Doors. She said after a recent seminar on persecution: “It is a privilege to meet so many brothers and sisters who are praying for me.”

Pastor Rajendra’s church in India has been under siege by Hindu militants. He also has been threatened. He says: “I can’t tell you how much we treasure your prayers. I believe our situation would be much worse if it had not been for all the prayers lifted up to the Lord for our sake.”

Prayer – that’s our best weapon in supporting and strengthening our brothers and sisters like Vaisha and Pastor Rajendra.

Once a year there is a worldwide prayer event called the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). The purpose of IDOP is to pray for the over 100 million persecuted Christians around the world. IDOP is one of the largest prayer events in the world and has heightened awareness of persecuted Christians since its inception in 1996.

This year IDOP will be held Nov. 9 in the United States. I encourage you to urge your church, small group or Sunday School to get involved. For more information you can go to Open Doors USA’s Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org. Of course, you can use these materials at any time to ignite prayer for persecuted Christians.

Here are just a few countries where Christians are being targeted for their faith and need our prayers:

North Korea – The 2008 Open Doors World Watch List ranked North Korea as the top violator of religious rights for the sixth year in a row. Two weeks ago the U.N. investigator on human rights Vitit Muntarbhorn said North Korea is using public executions to intimidate its citizens and has imposed restrictions on long distance calls to block the spread of news about rising food shortages in the reclusive nation. Muntarbhorn told the U.N. General Assembly's Human Rights Committee that North Korea has also imposed more severe sanctions on people seeking to leave the country and those forcibly returned. And it still detains "very large numbers" of people in camps. Many Christians have been beaten, tortured or killed because of their religious beliefs and thousands are in political prisons.

Iran – Without international pressure there is little to stop the Iranian government from ratifying a bill that will make “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, a capital crime, say human rights groups and experts. On Sept. 9 the Iranian parliament approved a new penal code by a vote of 196-7 calling for a mandatory death sentence, according to Compass Direct News. The Christian and Baha’i communities of Iran are most likely to be affected by this decision. Christians report that persecution has increased markedly and that believers are experiencing greater hardship since the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in August 2005. Islam is the official religion in Iran, ranked No. 3 on the Open Doors World Watch List.

Iraq – “At this time 10,000 Christians have left Mosul because of the escalating terrorism specifically targeting Christians,” says Olaf, Iraq country coordinator for Open Doors. A local contact of Open Doors says that the number of families fleeing Mosul has reached 2,000 in the past week. Olaf adds: “Our Iraqi colleague, let’s call him Yassr for security reasons, says that terrorists dressed like policemen asked a Christian for his identification card. When the ID showed he was a Christian, he was shot right on the spot.” “A lot of anxiety is being experienced by the Christian community,” Yassr reports. At least 15 Christians have been killed in Mosul since Oct. 1.

India – Violence against the Christian community in Orissa has claimed the lives of at least 60 people in the last two months. More than 18,000 have been injured while around 4,500 houses and churches have been destroyed. The violence, which has spread to at least 14 districts of Orissa, has left more than 50,000 people homeless. With around 3,000 people in one camp, public health is pathetic in refugee camps,” attorney B. D. Das told Compass Direct News. “There is an epidemic of malaria, and water-borne diseases are spreading rapidly.”

Christians are being persecuted for the Lord’s sake – but through your prayers they are thankfully not abandoned. Join the millions who are praying for suffering believers not only on Nov. 9, but every day of the year.