Psalm 35: Prayers for the Persecuted Church-Supplication through the Scriptures

Psalm 35

Prayers for the Persecuted Church, part 1

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
Tertullian

This week on the blog, we will be praying for the persecuted church. Most of us reading this blog are living comfortably and worshiping freely. But many of our brothers and sisters around the world are risking their lives to live for Christ. Let’s pray Psalm 35 this week for God’s protection of His people and the furtherance of His kingdom in the world. Charles Spurgeon said, “An inward persuasion of security in God is of all things the most precious in the furnace of persecution.” May the Lord use our prayers and the truth of His Word to supply His saints with the security and comfort that only He can provide.

Access this link to go to the Voice of the Martyrs webpage for prayer requests and to see information on the countries around the world that are hostile or restricted as pertains to the Christian faith. I encourage you to pick a few countries for which you will pray. 

Contend, O Lord!

35:1-3 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!" 
Let’s pray:
▫️The Lord would contend with those who are rising up and opposing His people. He would defend those who are being unjustly accused, imprisoned, and threatened.
▫️The Lord would come to the aid of His persecuted people and be their refuge and strength, a very present help in their time of need. He would provide housing, food, protection, help, and monetary assistance when needed.
▫️The persecuted church would flee to the Lord for help, and He would be their deliverer and not delay (Psalm 40:17)!
▫️The Lord would draw His weapons to defend against those pursuing His people to deliver them from the wicked who seek their destruction: the government, those willing to betray them, and even family members.

Pursue them, O Lord!

35:4-8 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away! Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! 
Let’s pray:
▫️Those who are seeking the lives of God’s people would be turned back. They would lose heart in pursuing His people, and they would fail in capturing His people and confiscating their biblical materials.
▫️The angel of the Lord would encamp around those who fear the Lord and He would deliver them (Psalm 34:7). When God’s people are in danger, He would miraculously deliver them and cause them to rejoice in His salvation.
▫️Instead of God’s people being pursued, the angel of the Lord would pursue their adversaries and drive them away!
▫️The Lord would bring His sheep out of darkness and the shadow of death and break their bands apart (Psalm 107:14).
▫️The enemies of God would be ensnared in their own traps, and their downfall would be sudden and unexpected. The Lord would even use natural means like the weather, sickness, and changed plans to thwart the persecutors of God’s people.

O Lord, who is like You?

35:9-10 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. All my bones shall say, "O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?"
Let’s pray:
▫️His people would rejoice in the Lord, exulting in His salvation, “For Thou hast been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat “ (Isaiah 25:4).
▫️They would weep with joy and cry, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the afflicted from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
▫️We would rejoice together, “For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise His who are prisoners” (Psalm 69:33).


May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

An inward persuasion of security in God is of all things the most precious in the furnace of persecution. One word from the Lord quiets all our fears.
C.H.Spurgeon 

Psalm 35:1-10 quoted from the ESV.
Photo credit to menonsstocks

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