A Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Hebrews 13:3

Hebrews 13:3 comes from the closing chapter of the letter to the Hebrews, whose author is not named, written to first-century believers who had themselves faced persecution, telling them to remember prisoners and the mistreated.

Lord, Your word tells us to remember those in prison as if we were bound with them. So we remember our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Jesus today. Be near them in prison cells and hiding places. Give them courage, joy and boldness to speak Your word. Protect their families and provide for their needs. Soften the hearts of those who persecute them. And help us never forget them, but stand with them in prayer and love. Amen.

The Scripture

“Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.”
— Hebrews 13:3

Prayer points from Hebrews 13:3

Remember believers in prison as if you were bound with them.
Ask God to give them courage, joy and boldness to speak His word.
Pray for protection and provision for their families.
Pray for churches that meet in secret or under threat.
Pray for those who persecute them, that they would come to know Jesus.
Thank God for your freedom to worship, and ask how you can help.

About this verse

The letter to the Hebrews was written to believers who knew persecution firsthand. Earlier the writer reminds them that they had been “publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution” and had stood beside others who were treated the same way, even those in prison. In the last chapter come simple commands for a loving church, among them: “Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.” Christians are one body; as Paul wrote, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Around the world today, many believers are still arrested, beaten, driven from their homes or cut off from their families for following Jesus. Most of us will never meet them, but we can remember them before God, pray for their courage and protection, and pray for those who persecute them, as Jesus taught. This prayer is for anyone, alone or with a church, who wants to stand with the persecuted church.

When to pray this prayer

When you hear of Christians arrested or attacked for their faith
On a Sunday your church sets aside for the persecuted church
Each time you open your Bible without fear
As you walk into church freely
At a prayer meeting, naming believers in prison
When following Jesus costs you something

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