Christian Reflection and Prayer

What Remembering the Persecuted Church Looks Like

Scripture:

Remember those in prison as if you
were their fellow prisoners, and those
who are mistreated as if you yourselves
were suffering - Hebrews 13:3

Reflection:

Researchers guess that about 176,000
Christians worldwide may have been killed
for their faith between mid-2008 and mid-2009.
Many of those believers died in secrecy, as
in the North Korean prison camps, and were
cut off from other believers at the end. Now,
consider that we have a daily opportunity to
partner with these men and women in prayer.
I have to think that's what the author of Hebrews
really meant when he encouraged us to
"remember" imprisoned believers. 

I'll be the first to admit it: I'm guilty of not
remembering my brothers and sisters in Christ.
My unfaithfulness to them reflects a heart that
hasn't quite grasped the enormity of the power
of prayer. And yet there James is, telling me
that the Christian's prayers have more impact
than perhaps we'll ever know. So - how about it?

What if we all pick a country and pray for the
believers living there in the coming month? I'll
be praying for North Korea, and believe me, there
are plenty of places to go around. Let's remember
that we serve a God who delights to use our prayers i
n ways we can't even imagine. Let's remember
the persecuted church.

Katherine Britton

crosswalk.com