FAMILY PRAYER GUIDE
.jpg "Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash")
The first Sunday in November is international day of prayer for the persecuted church. A day set aside to intentionally pray as the Church for our brothers and sisters worldwide who are suffering for their faith.
Across the globe, Christians suffer at a high cost for their devotion to Jesus. One in seven experiences intense persecution. For those of us who reside in the West, it can be challenging to comprehend such realities, let alone teach our kids about them. But we can teach our kids to pray for the persecuted church.
Below is a prayer guide to help your family participate in this special day of prayer.
Family Devotion: Remembering to Pray
“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13:3 ICB).Sometimes following Jesus means those who aren't Christians may treat Christians unkindly—this is called persecution. Some countries say it's against the law to become a Christian. Some places won't let a Christian keep a job. Or some governments toss Christians in jail for teaching the Bible. Sometimes others make fun of Christians.
But we shouldn't be surprised when this happens. Jesus tells us in the Bible to expect that some people won't like believers because of their faith in God (John 15:18).
Even if Christians may be persecuted for their faith in Jesus, they aren't alone. They don't have to be sad. Jesus says He is always with us (Matt. 28:20). He promises to give us—and all believers—strength to keep trusting God.
Even if we aren't treated unkindly for our faith, we can understand how it may feel. And today's Bible verse tells us to remember Christians who are treated meanly by others. One big way we can remember them is by praying!
We can pray for persecuted Christians to trust God when others hurt them. We can pray they look forward to the day all sadness will end because they will be with Jesus forever in heaven! And no unkind word will be spoken again!
Persecution Video
As a family, watch this short video (about 2 minutes!) produced by Open Doors for kids to understand how following Jesus isn't allowed everywhere.
Prayer Prompts
Using the prayer prompts, pray for persecuted Christians around the world:
2) Pray for believers in countries where being a Christian isn't allowed to keep meeting together to grow in their faith.
3) Ask for persecuted Christians to keep sharing their faith with others in wise ways.
Activities
Below are some activities to learn more about what it's like in places where it's dangerous to be a Christian.
1) Swing by the Weave website to participate in two family activities to better understand what it means to be persecuted for following Jesus, discuss the Bible verses together on the topic, and pray for the strength of persecuted Christians.
2) Print off a prayer passport for kids. Children can pray for the persecuted church by getting a prayer stamp for 50 countries inside a prayer passport. Like getting a passport stamped, children can mark off their prayer participation for that country. Use this passport to guide family prayer for the persecuted church in kid-friendly ways over 50 days.
3) Print off eight Secret Church coloring pages that include a Bible verse and a kid-friendly aspect about the persecuted church in a different part of the world from Open Doors. These pages can meet little ones where they are developmentally but also provide a springboard for conversation about persecution as a family.
Additional Resources
To keep digging deeper, here are resources to grow our children's understanding of persecution. As we increase our understanding, we can better pray for our brothers and sisters around the globe.1) Courageous book series (Preschool–2nd)
This Voice of the Martyrs picture book series captures the importance of boldly sharing our faith, even when it’s hard. The set includes six books about well-known men of faith and how they remained faithful to Christ despite persecution.
2) Persecution: What can I do?: A 45-minute lesson that shares stories of persecution and our responsibility to pray for them (elementary kids).
This Imagination Station series book draws kids into the life of Bishop Patrick (the man behind Saint Patrick’s Day) as he stands up for his faith in God—even if it may cost his life. This book provides a unique lens for kids to understand the cost of following Christ in a story format.
As we teach our families about the persecuted church, may we model our responsibility and joy to pray for our suffering brothers and sisters across the earth.