Our powerful tool against persecution

When a lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” in Luke 10, Jesus responds with a story: A Samaritan—an outsider—stops to care for a Jewish traveler who was beaten and robbed, providing for both immediate needs and future care.

Jesus’ conclusion is well-known: “Go and do likewise.”

It is easy to stop reading there and perhaps miss the gestalt of Luke’s writings here. Immediately after teaching what neighborly love looks like in action, Luke’s account has Jesus next turn to the matter of prayer. The shift seems deliberate.

At the beginning of Luke 11, Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer and then illustrates the posture of prayer with another story. A man goes to a friend at midnight to ask for bread, waking the household. Jesus says the friend grants the request not out of friendship but because of the man’s “shameless audacity” (Luke 11:8). Jesus continues: “Ask … seek … knock,” reminding us that even flawed parents know how to give good gifts, so “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!” A similar theme appears in Luke 18 in the parable of the persistent widow. Luke explains that Jesus told this story “so that they should always pray and not give up.”

In matters of religious freedom, this means interceding for those suffering persecution and severe violations to freedom of conscience. As God’s children, we are invited to approach him about these issues with a sense of shameless audacity, believing he can move in situations marked by violence and spiritual darkness. We ask for protection, rescue, and freedom over the persecuted, trusting that our High Priest has already overcome the world. As Paul reminds us, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood … but against the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12).

Such prayers are a matter of obedience. Paul urges believers in 1 Timothy 2:1 “that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people” because “this is good, and pleases God our Savior.” Scripture is clear that the Lord delights in the prayers of the upright (Proverbs 15:8). Intercession, or the action of saying a prayer on behalf of another person, reflects God’s heart for humanity, revealed through His Son.

Indeed, this act changes our mindset towards global persecution. Oswald Chambers, the popular 19th century Scottish evangelist, offers us an important observation on this: “True intercession involves bringing the person … before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance.”

When we pray for those imprisoned, displaced, or silenced for their beliefs—regardless of faith or background—we stand before the throne of grace on their behalf. In doing so, we truly imitate Christ. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus “always lives to intercede” for those who come to God through him. Intercession is not just something Jesus does—it is part of who He is. Thus, as His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), we are called to share in this ongoing priestly ministry.

Moreover, Scripture reminds us of God’s desire for intercessors. Moses “stood in the breach” on behalf of Israel (Exodus 32:9–14), while in Ezekiel God laments that He found no one to stand “in the gap” (Ezra 22:30). Though Christ is now our eternal intercessor, we too are still called to pray on behalf of others.

How should we pray? The Psalms provide a starting language for intercession. We pray with David’s cries for deliverance, his laments for justice, and his declarations of hope: (Psalms 9:9; 69:33; 86:13).

We also remember Isaiah’s charge: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed” (1:17). Faithful prayer fuels courageous action. One way He refines this capacity is through our own persistent pleadings before his throne (e.g., James 1:4).

Many Christian organizations provide prayer tools for the persecuted. While most focus on the persecuted church, others—like the Christians Against All Persecution (CAAP) Network and CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)—offer guides for interceding across faith communities.

Because when the world grows weary of hearing about suffering, we pray. When non-Christian groups are persecuted, Christians speak out. When culture urges us toward self-focus, the Spirit reminds us to remember those in prison “as if you were together with them” (Hebrews 13:3). And as we faithfully intercede for others, our faith matures and thus our actions become more intentional, loving, and good.