Pray for the persecuted

The 2024 International Day of Prayer (IDOP) is Sunday, November 3, and Christians across the country are encouraged to gather and pray for persecuted believers.

For years, The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM, persecution.com), a ministry that serves persecuted Christians around the globe, has worked to promote awareness of Christians who risk their lives to minister in areas of the world where they could be killed for spreading the gospel. IDOP is one way VOM fosters such awareness.

“The idea of calling people to pray for persecuted Christians isn’t really an idea cooked up by VOM or by any one ministry. That idea comes from persecuted Christians themselves,” said Todd Nettleton, VOM vice president of message. “When we go and meet with them and serve them, the first thing that they ask us to do is … to pray.”

The aim of IDOP is to get Christians at home to recognize this need and pray for these individuals who risk their lives daily to serve the Lord.

Nettleton added, “We hope that people will answer that call in their own personal prayers, in their family prayer time, in their small groups or Sunday School classes, and as entire congregations gather together.”

The focus

This year, VOM is highlighting pastors serving in the “red zones” of Colombia. Red zones are places where Marxist guerrillas or other paramilitary forces have gained control over an area and are actively stopping the spread of Christianity, making it dangerous to evangelize.

“Pastors serving in these red zones know that their lives are at risk,” Nettleton explained. “And yet they know that God has called them [there], and they trust in His care to continue the work until He calls them to heaven.”

While the focus of the 2024 IDOP is on Colombian pastors, the purpose of the day remains the same from year to year, which is to pray for persecuted Christians – no matter where they are serving.

“Knowing the challenges they face and seeing their incredible courage in the midst of it will inspire us to pray not only for persecuted pastors in Colombia, but also for Christians facing persecution in Iran, North Korea, northern Mozambique, and so many other nations around the world,” Nettleton said.

The film

Although Christians are called to pray, not everyone knows where to start. That is why VOM has various resources to help people not only be informed but involved.

Nettleton said, “Probably the most significant new resource is this year’s film [that was] created especially for the 2024 IDOP.”

The short film titled The Martinez Family: Colombia focuses on Pastor David Martinez and his wife Gloria and the hardships they face as they evangelize in the red zones.

“This film depicts actual events – the real threats and challenges that pastors in Colombia face,” Nettleton explained. “It was filmed on location in Colombia with input from Colombian Christians.”

In addition to the film, VOM also offers downloadable guided prayer slides, a church bulletin insert, a sermon-builder tool for pastors and teachers, and a discussion guide about how to present experiences of Christian persecution to children in an age-appropriate way.

These resources are free and available for download at vom.org/idop, where the film can be viewed.

Nettleton concluded, “Our call this IDOP is an echo of the call of our persecuted brothers and sisters: ‘Pray for us!’”