In addition, my heartlight.org this week is entitled “Follow Me” and focuses on the unjust suffering of by Christians and how process this problem through the eyes of faith. While I ask some questions at the end of the article, I also believe it is appropriate that we pray the Lord’s Prayer today with a special emphasis on being delivered from evil.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.

Did you realize persecution against believers in Jesus is this widespread in the world today?

What are some other ways we can help those who are persecuted in the name of Jesus today?

Have you been persecuted because of your faith? (We’d love to pray for you and hear your story!)

  The LORD looks down from heaven
    on the human race
  to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
  All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.

  Do all these evildoers know nothing?

  They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the LORD.
  But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
  You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the LORD is their refuge.

  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the LORD restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

\o/ — Comments Psalm 14: When the Lord restores His people! — \o/

In the jungle and in the forest, each creature is either predator or prey. Many creatures are both! In the world, it often seems this way, too. However, God has called us to His character. He is neither predator or prey. He is Redeemer and Deliverer. He calls us to His character and His mission. To deny His presence, His pervasive influence on the fabric of creation, is foolish and disastrous. Yet many, in their lust for power and control, deny His existence and stalk the weak, prey on the vulnerable, and abuse the righteous.Psalm 14 gives us words for those times of heartbreak, anger, and desperation when we see the vulnerable savagely devoured by the godless. The godless celebrate because they believe there is no God and that there is no one to hold them accountable for their wickedness, corruption, and evil. For those under relentless attack, it does feel as if all goodness has vanished from the earth and only the vile rule. (Romans 3 reminds us that there are times when we all have fallen into this category and our only deliverance is God’s costly grace given us in Jesus!)

We live in a time when Christians are persecuted and martyred in many parts of our world without much comment from the press and almost without notice by their brothers and sisters in the Western world. (See Voice of the Martyrs for details.)

What can we do to be genuine peacemakers?

What can we do to help our fellow brothers and sisters hang on and trust that God will act?

How can we help them hold on and find refuge in the LORD?

How can we encourage them that deliverance is not a matter of IF God will act, but WHEN He will act?

More than questions to ponder, these are soul-searching issues we must master. And until we master both question and answer, we must pray, Oh, that salvation … would come … When the LORD restores His people!

O LORD, please act! Please intervene. Please restore. And, dear God, please stir us — your people with freedom, money, power, and protection — to pray and work for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters under persecution. Please stir us to be a blessing because we are so blessed. Please use us to be a tool to help your people have reason to rejoice and be glad!