When asked about how Christians around the world could pray for the persecuted believers in Vietnam, Te,* a church leader and trainer, simply said, “We don’t pray for [persecution] to go away or for freedom…We pray for the gospel to have freedom to break through barriers.”
Another believer added, “We pray for God’s will to be done, and when persecution does come we pray for the believers to stand strong and be bold.”
We also asked these believers how they are able to withstand the persecution they face. Here are a few of their answers:
“I know that I must have a personal walk with the Lord. We must be realizing that we are weak—we have to let go and let God. I recount the latest incident where I thought, ‘This is the end.’ Then I am reminded that the Lord [is faithful].”
“[I know that my] faith is in God and Jesus Christ. We believe what we are doing is right. I vowed [from the beginning] never to quit.”
“I am willing to die for my faith. I was trained [by other Christians]. I quote verses from the book of John. Our people are like sheep before the wolves. It is my responsibility to protect them and lead them. I will never give up.”
How you can pray:
Pray with Te for God to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” in Vietnam so that believers will not become complacent in sharing the good news.
Pray for believers to continue to grow spiritually and be bold witnesses for Christ.
* Name changed
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Throughout the month of May 2015, we are asking individuals, families, groups of friends, small groups, and churches to join with us and commit to pray for the peoples of Vietnam. We will be posting stories and sharing ways to pray daily through the blog, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also download a prayer guide and other resources here.