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Heavenly Father, on this International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, we remember those Christians who are persecuted simply for their faith in You. We pray for Your people who suffer discrimination, violence and injustice throughout the world. Please cause the prayers of Your Church to have great power. We pray for truth, justice and righteousness to prevail and the forces of oppression to be pushed back as millions of believers intercede for our Christian family today and always, for we remember the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf, in whose mighty Name we pray. (James 5:16)
In September 1958, the communist authorities of North Korea passed a law to abolish all religions. This led to the closure of 3,089 churches and the execution of thousands of pastors and church leaders. Nearly 70 years later, North Korea is still among the most dangerous countries in which to follow Christ. Any expression of Christian faith is almost certain to result in arrest, imprisonment and the harshest punishments imaginable. Ask our Father to sustain His people for as long as they endure this fierce repression. Pray that North Korea, like godless Ninevah of old, will from the greatest to the least turn again to the Lord (Jonah 3:4-9).
Pastor David Tang, founder of a prominent underground church in China, was among seven Christians arrested in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. The church served by Pastor Tang is among those that have refused to join the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, China’s officially recognised Protestant Church. At the time of writing, the seven believers have been held for more than a month, while the authorities have not given any reason for the arrests. Pray that the Lord will give boldness to each one, and all believers imprisoned or detained in China (Acts 4:29).
Concerns have been raised for eight church leaders who, at the time of writing, have been detained by the Chinese authorities for nearly a year. According to reports, the eight are suffering from deteriorating health and malnutrition. They are among the leaders of Zion Church, a network of unofficial “house churches”, arrested for alleged illegal activity. Their trial on charges of fraud and illegal business operations was originally scheduled for mid-August but has been postponed. Please pray that our Lord, who loves justice (Psalm 11:7), will intervene to ensure justice for these, His servants.
The wife of missing pastor Raymond Koh has appealed to Malaysia’s Prime Minister to intervene after the Court of Appeal upheld a stay (postponement) on an order requiring police to reopen investigations into her husband’s disappearance nine years ago. Susanna Liew wrote to tell Anwar bin Ibrahim that time is of the essence to discover what happened to the father-of-three who was abducted, at the age of 63, by gunmen near his Kuala Lumpur home. Pray that the PM will take up Susanna’s heartfelt plea and order an immediate investigation. Ask that justice will prevail and Pastor Koh’s family receive the answers they long for (Amos 5:24).
Pray for a church in central Vietnam, which Barnabas Aid has been supporting with essential building repairs. The congregation has grown since its founding in 1992 to include the entire population of the village, with a weekly attendance of 238 members. Following three years of prayer and hard toil, the church successfully completed its roof construction in May 2026. This work was an absolute necessity in an area particularly vulnerable to high-impact storms and strong winds. Call on the Lord to draw close to His faithful servants as they struggle with these harsh weather conditions, as well as burdensome regulations imposed by the local authorities. Give thanks for the remarkable growth of the church and pray for it to continue.
Pastor Y Nuen Ayun, 59, from Vietnam’s Central Highlands, was sentenced in early August to seven years and six months’ imprisonment on charges of “undermining the policy of national unity”. His church commented that members have faced police harassment since the church was founded and their only intention is to practise their faith under Vietnam’s Constitution and Law on Belief and Religion. Pray for Pastor Nuen Ayun to know the Lord’s strength during this long sentence for faithfully serving God’s people. Pray that his family and church will receive support to sustain them and grow in faith. Ask that this unjust judgement will be overturned.
Lord Jesus, we lift up to You those whom You have called to shepherd Your Church, whether as pastors, church leaders or overseers. Please protect them from the attacks so often directed at them as they seek to uphold Your truth and protect and encourage their communities. Instil in them a strong servant spirit and an eagerness in being an example to the flock entrusted to them. Inspire those who serve with limited resources through pure, peaceable wisdom from above to build up Your people in faith. Please comfort and sustain those who suffer imprisonment and false accusations for fulfilling their calling, for we ask in Your most holy Name. (1 Peter 5:2-3; James 3:17)
Armed Fulani Islamists who ambushed a minibus in Plateau State, Nigeria in August kidnapped two of its nine passengers, Hills Emmanuel and Gabriel Joseph Dipak, because they were pastors. As the gunmen dragged the men away, Pastor Emmanuel’s wife, a traveller in the vehicle, begged for them to be freed. She recounted, “One of the Fulani men turned to me and said I would not see my husband alive again. And true to their words, they killed him.” Pastor Dipak was released days later. Pray for comfort for Pastor Emmanuel’s widow and five children. Ask for healing for Pastor Dipak from his ordeal. Pray for an end to Islamist violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Christians were preparing to attend Sunday morning church worship when around 100 gunmen descended on their community in Plateau State, Nigeria. The attack in mid-August lasted several hours. By the time the terrorists left, 30 villagers lay dead, several of them gunned down as they ran for safety. Ask the Lord to draw close to the bereaved and injured and that their needs will be met. Pray that the men of violence who together have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Christians across Nigeria’s Middle Belt will turn from evil and hatred and seek peace (Psalm 34:14).
“This has given them hope,” said a pastor as Barnabas Aid-funded food was distributed to Christians in one of the many displacement camps sheltering victims of violence in Nigeria’s north-east and Middle Belt. “Many families here are tired and discouraged, but the support from Barnabas reminded us that God is still with us.” Praise Him for the success of Barnabas Aid’s food distributions that reached 6,000 Christian households (around 30,000 individuals) in the region in the five months to April 2026. Pray that our struggling brothers and sisters will grow steadfast in their love of the Lord, and will not be discouraged, knowing that He will never leave them (Deuteronomy 31:8).
More than 200 Christians were slaughtered in a six-week wave of Islamist violence in Ituri Province, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The bloodshed culminated in the massacre of 29 believers in a large-scale assault on two villages at the end of August. Islamic State Central Africa Province has killed more than 1,370 Christians in north-eastern DRC since December 2024, making the region one of the most dangerous in the world to be a Christian. Intercede for our brothers and sisters in Ituri and across north-eastern DRC as they face this violent persecution, on top of long-term poverty and instability. Pray that the Lord will bring peace and healing to this troubled land.
Pray for the continued success of a school scholarship programme in Uganda that has allowed 130 Christian children, mainly girls, to begin attending school. Funding covers the cost of tuition, school materials, uniforms, mentoring and counselling. Girls also receive sanitary kits and hygiene supplies. The beneficiaries include impoverished Ugandan children as well as refugees whose lives have been turned upside down by the horrors of war. The programme is especially needed in a country where many children do not have the opportunity to receive an education. Pray that Christian children’s lives in Uganda will be transformed through the gift of education.