Overcoming Overwhelm
On praying for the persecuted church.
We drew our chairs together into a tight circle, bowed our heads, gathering our thoughts in preparation for prayer. A lady sighed as she began to pray, “Lord, it can seem so overwhelming to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. But You know all the situations they face. You know their needs. So we come to You in prayer once again…” I nod in silent agreement, I understand what she means. I often feel overwhelmed when I pray for believers who experience intense, violent persecution in places like North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.
I am truly blessed to be part of a church community that meets regularly for prayer, and routinely prays for Christians who suffer persecution. The latest updates from the persecuted church seem a million miles away from my experience of ordinary English suburban life. Their experiences sound so extreme, so frightening, so traumatic— that I am tempted to shrink back from praying out of a fear of inadequacy. How can I even begin to pray about these atrocities? This devastation? The injustices they face? How is a random (but sincere) 5 minute prayer going to help?
Surely 40 days of corporate prayer and fasting would be more effective?
But I pray anyway. Christ compels us to pray. Pray for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes. Pray daily. Pray weekly. By ourselves or with others. For the sake of our persecuted church family we must resist negative thinking, push past the overwhelm, and pray. We must not believe the lie that praying is pointless and ineffective. Even if we are in awe of their faith, comparing ourselves, wondering how we would fare in such circumstances. We wonder; would we be as faithful as they are? We battle with shame in our struggle to stand boldly for Christ—considering the precious religious freedoms we have.
‘Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1 CSB)
They need our prayers now more than ever. God forbid that we neglect to pray due to feelings of inadequacy, overwhelm or simply a lack of faith in the power of prayer. This tests my faith and begs the question; will I believe God’s word on the effectiveness of prayer? Will I limit my prayers to my locality, my personal life or for situations where I can see an end?
I can’t see an end to persecution of Christians. It is happening now as I write, and always will until the return of Christ. This is a painful and dark reality, it feels grossly unjust—this is not the way things are supposed to be. The stories I hear of torture and killing chills me to the bone. The scope of it is so difficult to process. But we must face the fact that many will continue to die for their faith. The world is not worthy of these precious believers. They counted everything as loss for the wonder of knowing Christ. Their lives are testimony to this eternal truth; to live is Christ, to die is gain.
‘And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.’ (Hebrews 11: 32-40 CSB)
We must stand with our brothers and sisters, unseen and not personally known by us but known by our almighty Father who has compassion on them. He knows their needs and remains sovereign over their stories. When we stand strong in prayer they know it, they can feel it. This is the unseen work of being a good and faithful servant. They are upheld in the most heart wrenching of circumstances. They are inflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned ( 2 Corinthians 4:8).
We must continue to pray that their faith will not fail under extreme pressure to renounce it, and pray that our faith in God’s providence over their lives would not fail. In the worst cases, we trust that even though outwardly their bodies are being destroyed (beatings, torture, affliction), inwardly they are being renewed each day (2 Corinthians 4:16). The wisdom of prayer is foolishness to the world, but it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
“My grandmother was a Christian, but I never knew,” says Jung Jik* from North Korea. “Every morning, when she cooked rice, she would mumble. Before she went to sleep, she sat down and mumbled. I thought she believed in some superstition, but looking back, I know that it was prayer.”
It was after escaping North Korea for the second time that Jung Jik first really encountered Christianity. A church cared for him and he learnt about the Bible, prayer and the Holy Spirit – all of which helped when he was captured again and returned to prison. “For the first time in my life, I really prayed to God: ‘Holy God, if You exist, please let me live!’” Amazingly, he escaped.
“God uses your prayers,” says Jung Jik, now in South Korea. “There is still a large underground church. Because you pray, many people are miraculously healed, and they experience God’s power. They come to faith… Because of your prayers, the underground church in North Korea is expanding.” — Jung Jik’s testimony, Open Doors UK
It is a challenge to stay upbeat and positive when we hear of the atrocities committed against our church family, but we are not called to always feel positive. It is right that we lament the situation whilst continuing to persevere in prayer, reminding ourselves that prayers of the righteous in Christ are powerful and effective (James 5:16). The eyes of the Lord roam the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are loyal to Him. His eye is on them, wherever they are in the world and His ear is attentive to their cries for help. He will strengthen their hearts as He strengthens ours.
Our prayers can seem futile and weak, but God uses our weakness to display His strength. He has chosen the weakness of our prayers to confound the wise. The testing of our faith through prayer is good; it produces endurance. Our persecuted family need us to endure with them.
Like Paul the Apostle during his persecution and trial before the authorities, all abandoned him—yet the Lord was with him. God is able to sustain those who are isolated, fleeing persecution, and fearing for their lives. Every prayer counts.
‘At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.’ (2 Timothy 4: 16-18 CSB)
Open Doors Prayer Diary Jan/Feb 2025 ( sign up on their website for updates)
The Prisoners of Hope Podcast tells the stories of Christians affected by persecution—people who are, as the prophet Zechariah once wrote, “Prisoners of Hope.”
We’ll share how Christianity is anything but a coping mechanism for the faint of heart.
We’ll learn about people who put their lives on the line for the sake of the Gospel.
We’ll discover the Holy Spirit working in the world in ways that seem ripped straight from the Bible.
We hope that your faith is solidified through these stories of redemption, suffering, and a good and faithful God who will stop at nothing to expand his kingdom across the world—and in your heart, too. Together, we’ll discover how God is transforming all Christians into Prisoners of Hope.