Persecution

Ever since Hannah Grace was born, we hired a young woman to come a couple of times a week and help out around the house. It's a great arrangement--she is able to supplement her family's income and I get some help keeping up with all of the housework. This young lady is a strong believer, and although we belong to different denominations, we have had many good conversations over the past three and a half years about what it means to be a Muslim background believer.

For years her unbelieving father has made life difficult. He has ridiculed her faith, threatened, and at times prevented her from attending worship. Today my friend told me that her father said that until she turns from Christ, he won't allow her to eat any food that is bought with his money. He is threatening to turn her out of the house, although she feels like that is mostly an idle threat. But she is now completely dependent on us for grocery money.

After talking a while, she told me, "Please just pray that I can be strong, and that I can respond to my father in a Christlike way." Obviously, she is looking for ways to increase her income--another job, more hours--and although she wants prayer to have her physical needs met, those are not her greatest concern. She doesn't even want to necessarily have this persecution removed; in some ways she welcomes it as a way to see her faith refined to pure gold.

Please pray for this young woman, and so many other believers like her who suffer persecution in various forms. Pray for those of us who live among these believers, that we will know how to bear this burden with them.