LIFT Daily Prayer: Standing with the Persecuted Church | A Cry for Courage and Faith

It’s early morning here in California—Sunday, November 2nd—and today marks a sacred call for every believer: a day to pray for the persecuted church around the world. You may not hear it announced from every pulpit, but you don’t have to wait for that. This is a day to lift up those who suffer for the name of Jesus.

According to Open Doors, Voice of the Martyrs, and Samaritan’s Purse, Christians today face more persecution than at any other time in history. Technology has made it visible, but Jesus already told us this would happen—He prophesied it. The persecution would rise as His return draws near.

So how should we pray?
Not that persecution would stop—because Scripture tells us it will increase—but that God would pour out grace, mercy, and strength on those who endure for His name. The church is not to fear suffering but to walk in His glory through it.

In Mark 9:23, Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes.” That promise does not mean God serves our will or our comfort. It means that even in death, even in the darkest persecution, His power enables His children to stand firm.

This morning, as we sit safely in our homes, many of our brothers and sisters are losing theirs. Some are facing machetes in Nigeria—over 50,000 have been slaughtered in recent months. Others are imprisoned in China, silenced in Vietnam, beaten in Sudan and Syria, or forced underground in Indonesia and Afghanistan. The world does not see them. The news will not speak their names. But heaven knows every one of them.

And so, we pray:

We also pray for the sleeping church in the West—for those of us who live in comfort while our family in Christ suffers. Lord, awaken us from ease. Stir in us a holy fire to speak, to stand, and to live boldly for You.

Would we still go to church if it cost us our lives?
Would we still confess Jesus if it meant our blood?

God, make us faithful. Make us strong enough to live for You—and if ever required, to die for You.

Let this Sunday not pass like any other.
Let it awaken compassion, courage, and conviction in every believer who hears this prayer.

Because while the world turns away, Jesus stands with His persecuted church. And so must we—until the day He returns, when every tear will be wiped away, and every martyr crowned in glory.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.