Why Engage in Powerful Prayer for the Persecuted?

Prayer is powerful not because of the words we pray or how fancy we speak.  Prayer is powerful because of the One True Living God Christians humbly address during their times of need.  Prayer is powerful because God is All Powerful and able to do anything He desires.  This is why I pray, and why I think praying for the persecuted church is so important.

I know VOM thinks that prayer is vital as well because every week they send out great prayer alerts that you and I can print up and use on a daily basis.  Visit www.persecution.com and www.persecution.net to sign up.

Here are a few requests from VOM Canada's alert this week.

1. Two Dead after Attack on Church Construction in Egypt

Two Coptic Christians are reported dead and at least ten others were injured when a group of Muslim youths attempted to stop the construction of a new Coptic church building in the village of el-Udaysaat near the southern Egyptian town of Luxor.  The attack took place in the early morning of January 19 when the youths set fire to building materials.  They claimed the church did not have permission to build.  According to reports from the U.S. Copts Association, police officers who arrived at the scene did little to stop the violence or protect the Christians.  Those who died of injuries were Kamal Shaker and a thirteen-year-old boy, George Shahata.  Shahata is reported to have died as the result of a heart condition that was exacerbated by the attack.  Pictures of the victims are available online at http://www.persecution.net/news/egypt22.html.   Video footage of the funeral is also available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.persecution.tv.

Ask God to comfort the families of Kamal and George in their grief. Pray
that God will enable the believers to forgive their attackers and that those
responsible for the attack will be drawn to Christ as a result.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in Egypt, go to
http://www.persecution.net/country/egypt.htm.