Children in the Persecuted Church
Normally we tend to think of the persecuted church as comprising adult believers, but children can be equally hit by persecution, and their stories can be especially heartbreaking. A surprising number of the persecution incidents that Smyrna uncovered this past month (and that will be in the March prayer guide) involve kids and teens.
- Muslims brought false charges against a Christian youth in Pakistan, and police broke both his ankles.
- Four Somali children, ages 12, 8, 6, and 4 are traumatized by the public martyrdom of their mother.
- An eight-year-old orphan in Sudan is caring for her infant brother in a refugee camp in Sudan.
- Two children were only recently reunited with their father, a pastor who was imprisoned for four years in Uzbekistan.
- A Christian teen was tortured, sexually assaulted, and shot dead in Pakistan. A 10-year-old girl was also sexually assaulted.
- Four kids, ages 15, 8, 4, and 3 were shot to death by terrorists in Egypt.
- Two children in Turkmenistan were publically insulted in front of their schools because police found them at a Christian gathering.
There are many other untold stories like these that we may never know. But God knows. Please pray for the children in the Persecuted Church.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” – 1 John 3:1
