Two days ago, November 5th, was International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted. To be brutally honest, I never even knew, much less cared about taking the time on this day to truly pray for believers in countries where they are beaten, imprisoned, outcasted, raped, and killed all for the name of Jesus. Until this year. A few nights ago, my squad had secret church. Often times, to meet with other believers, Christians in highly persecuted countries have to meet in hidden, secret, protected houses in which they can sit for 12 hours praying, studying the Word, and worshipping in whispers in the heat, dark, and the stuffiness of a room much too small.
This reality seems so far off for us as believers in a country in which there is freedom for pretty much any religion. In which we meet in air conditioned church buildings with comfy seats and music so loud your eardrums may or may not burst. In which we have a full band and have the freedom to dance and shout and sing as loud as we please. Our church services are a good hour and a half long, during which I often check my watch in anticipation for lunch.
But last night, I got the smallest taste of what it might be like to live in a country in which your life is, quite literally, on the line for Jesus.
At 8pm until midnight, in a candlelit, unairconditioned, stuffy room in our hostel in Chiang Mai, we gathered, two at a time to the room in which we had to hide our bibles and give a password to enter the room. We worshipped by singing softly and and lightly strumming a guitar. We read through Acts 16, in which Paul and Silas are thrown into prison for casting out a demon from a slave girl.
After being stripped and beaten with rods, they were thrown into their cells. I’m struck most by what comes next. These fools really had that supernatural scary faith.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”
Acts 16:25-26
It was in their worship that they were set free. You see, their worship was not based on their comfort, but on their desperation. They were not singing hymns and praying because everyone else around them was or because it was routine. They sang songs to the Lord because they truly believed to their core that Jesus was their everything and their only hope. And when worship shifts from being words in a song to the surrender of our whole life, that is when the Lord fights our battles for us.
After we read in Acts, some of our leaders read stories of martyrs in Russia, China, North Africa, North Korea, and Pakistan. Sometimes when I read stories in the Bible I tend to think, “Oh wow, that’s so cool, but that only happens in the Bible.” But no, we heard stories of believers who were released from their cells by the power of the Holy Spirit–prisoners who led their entire prison to Christ because of their faith. People who had to truly sacrifice the safety of their families for the gospel. Man, I was actually moved to tears by the incredible courage and steadfastness of these people. To be honest with you, I’ve never really thought about the possibility of me losing my life for Jesus. Would I still say yes to Him if it meant I would die? Would I say yes to Him if it meant my family would die? Would I still sing songs to Him if I knew He might ask this of me? I could choose to answer that question with a simple “yes, of course” but when I actually sit in that question and put myself in a martyr’s shoes, that “yes, of course” doesn’t come out of my mouth as quickly.
I am not proposing that we all move to the most persecuted countries in the world. I simply wonder if we’ve settled for worship of a god who conveniently fits into our comfortable lifestyles rather than worship of the only One who matters, the one who is Lord and Sustainer of every living thing and is worthy of our whole life and every single breath we receive. How very different, how insanely powerful would our words be if when we worshipped, we knew it was more than just a song. It is our whole lives we are offering him, not just our voices. Not just for a night. Not just for a Sunday morning. True and honest worship comes from a place of knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, and trusting Him with your whole life and everything you love. It goes beyond the instruments and the atmosphere. When we worship with our whole lives, it doesn’t matter where we are, what we sound like, how loud we sing, or if we sing at all. We could worship in whispers, but as long as Abba our whole life, He shows up and He moves in power.
If you’re interested, the following website has a list of the 50 most persecuted countries for Christians in the world.
These people are risking everything to make His name known! I promise you won’t regret praying for these people. Your prayers never hit the ceiling! He hears every one!
In love and gratitude,
KT
