The Body of Christ - Part One - Hiding to Worship

Dear Reader, How often do we place those people we don't know and will probably never meet in prayer to the Father for protection, wisdom, and strength?  For most of us, it is rarely.  It seems we are better able to pray for those that we know that are ill, traveling, in need of salvation, etc..  But there are those saints that we are bound by God to spread out all over the world who are very much in need of our prayers.  These next three blogs will be prayer for them.


Dear Father God,

I know that You have Your children in the palm of Your mighty hand.  I know that You gaze on them with immeasurable love.  There are those of Your children scattered all around the globe who know Your voice even under oppression.  They are young and old.  They are Your body.  There are those that suffer greatly because of their faith.  They must hide in secret places to be amongst the brethren, but they live their lives in faith instead of fear that they may worship El Elyon, the Most High God!  If found, they will be tortured and killed for their faith.  Yet their desire to know You, is stronger than their fear.

I ask you to please shower Your grace upon those that will do whatever it takes to meet, sometimes literally in the underground, to fellowship in praise and worship and be amongst other saints in order to share the Word of God.  How great is their love for You, Lord!  Although we should all have the attitude that You are first and we are to forsake all others, we  sometimes fall quite short of the mark in lands where worship is still free.

Please continue to protect them and the missionaries that gave up all to become part of the body in much more dangerous places.  Protect them as they move in the cloak of night's darkness to hidden meeting places where their spirits are renewed and they gather strength from one another.  O Lord, thank You that we have brothers and sisters in Christ even in the hidden places that we can confess our love of the Lord with!  Thank You that here in my land I can freely go to church twice a week or more and learn and receive all that You have for me.

Your love and protection for Your children is great, O Lord!  Please bless us today as we hold our brothers and sisters in Christ in faraway, evil places up in prayer.  Thank You for the ability to pray for our 'Family.'

In Jesus' name, Amen.

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  And we also ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren."  1 John 3:16