Sometimes we can feel hopeless, like there is nothing to be done to support brothers and sisters who are suffering. God assures His people that He loves them and sees them, but He also encourages Christians to love and support one another. Even at a distance, there are ways to support persecuted believers through prayer and practical action.
One of the few promises about life in this world is made in the New Testament. It is the assurance that until Jesus returns, people will suffer. Some people have been blessed to live in countries where their struggles are unrelated to their faith. For many through the centuries and even today, identifying with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can lead to political oppression, social persecution, and martyrdom.
As a unified body, Christians from all over the world empathize with their brothers and sisters who are experiencing persecution and pain for their walk with the Lord. They want to help, but aren’t sure what they can do for people who live on the other side of the world or who are inaccessible behind political ideologies and borders.
While ultimately all Christians must rely on God, Paul called on believers to respond this way:
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:10-12). From prayer to outreach, there are things Christians can do for their persecuted brethren.
Persecution began soon after the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The first martyr was Stephen, who gave a sermon in the streets. The Jews around him stoned him for blasphemy.
“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God… And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:54-60).
Sometimes we can feel hopeless, like there is nothing to be done to support brothers and sisters who are suffering. God assures His people that He loves them and sees them, but He also encourages Christians to love and support one another. Even at a distance, there are ways to support persecuted believers through prayer and practical action.
Prayers for Persecuted Believers
Here are four things Christians in safe countries can pray to support persecuted believers.
1. Pray for Political Change in Their Location
The prophet Daniel said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:20b-21a). We can pray for Christians in a country where the political leadership is against the free practice of Christianity. We can pray for a change in leadership to alleviate their suffering, and that God would bring about this regime change.
2. Pray for the Comfort of the Holy Spirit
Sometimes people will be born into persecution and spend their whole lives in it. One of the names given to the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. This person of the Trinity is the one whose presence indwells each Christian and can provide them with assurance that they are not alone. God hears the prayers of those who love Him, and He can help make people more sensitive to the moving of the Spirit. Praying that persecuted Christians are more sensitive to the comfort of the Holy Spirit is an important thing to lift up to Him.
3. Pray for Evangelism Opportunities for Persecuted Christians
One of the great mysteries of our world, particularly in the 20th century, is that persecution can actually lead to non-believers getting saved and coming to Christ. In the Soviet Union, the underground church was strong, and experienced growth. Pray that God will use this momentary suffering to save souls from hell and for His glory.
4. Pray for the Salvation of the Persecutors
While the flesh instinctively wants to hurt people, get revenge, and not forgive, the Bible shows time and time again that God’s will is to forgive, to see everyone repent and turn to Him. One of the greatest missionaries in the early church was Paul, who had been called Saul. He had been full of anger, persecuting Christians. But he repented and grew to love God and fellow believers, and it is believed that ultimately, he was martyred himself. To be like Christ is to desire to see the persecutors turn away from their sin and wickedness and become Christians too.
3 Practical Ways to Support Persecuted Christians
Here are three things Christians in safe countries can do to practically support persecuted believers.
1. Support Missionaries
There are many ways to support missionaries working to impact persecuted Christians. Whether that is you supporting a missionary you know personally, supporting their businesses, giving through your church, giving through a private mission’s organization, or through a denominational cooperative program, giving back to missions can provide missionaries with resources to continue their work in supporting persecuted Christians.
2. Purchase Items to Donate to Nonprofits That Work with Persecuted Believers
While Christians should not focus on worldly possessions, sometimes providing relief in material needs can be a real blessing. Whether it is clothing, food, digging wells, or other items, providing that relief can make a difference in their lives, and let them know they are loved by brothers and sisters far away.
3. Look for Ways to Promote Meaningful Change from Your Country
Sometimes it is possible to engage in a political movement or with an issue to try and make a difference in a country or region where Christians experience persecution. A petition can make a difference, and so can voting for a politician whose platform aligns with changes in a geopolitical approach. We can advocate for change, and ask God to show us how we can work to implement meaningful change. However, we must also have the understanding that true persecution will not stop until Jesus returns for the Millennial Reign.
Bible Verses about Persecution
There are many Bible verses about persecution, including but not limited to:
Matthew 5:10 - “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Luke 6:22 - “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!”
John 15:18 - “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
2 Timothy 3:12-13 - “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
1 Peter 4:12-14 - “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”
Revelation 6:9-11 - “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”
While all believers are called to endure, and some will have to experience greater hardship than others, Christians are united as the body of Christ. Keeping brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering in our prayers, and finding opportunities to change or alleviate their circumstances are ways we can provide support. One day we shall all rejoice in Heaven together, free from persecution forever.
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Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer who uses her passion for God, reading, and writing to glorify God. She and her husband have lived all over the country serving their Lord and Savior in ministry. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com.
