O Lord God, Our Father

Your Son Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his resurrection he restores life and peace in all creation.
Comfort, we pray, all victims of intolerance.
Give courage to those oppressed by their fellow humans.
Remember in your kingdom those who have died.
Lead the oppressors towards compassion.
We ask that You give hope to all who suffer in His name.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior we pray,
Amen.

Inspired by Prayer for the Persecuted, Church of England


Please also read May The Lord Protect And Keep Meriam, Her Husband And Her Children, posted at One Saint's Crown Of Life Blog, May 31st, 2014.






"Sleeping peacefully in the arms of her father, this is precious baby Maya born in jail to the woman facing execution in Sudan for marrying a Christian U.S. citizen...'

"...Daniel’s wife Meriam Ibrahim gave birth to Maya five days early in the hospital wing at Omdurman Federal Women’s Prison in North Khartoum yesterday.

"Meriam has spent the past four months shackled to the floor in a disease-ridden jail after being sentenced to death by hanging earlier this month for converting from Islam to Christianity and marrying a Christian man.

"Her lawyer Mohaned Mustafa Elnour said the couple are ‘happy and proud’ of their new arrival and that it has brought a momentary ray of light to an otherwise bleak and desperate situation..."

‘'...The family are taking some time to enjoy the birth before they return to fighting the injustice of Meriam’s sentence.’

"Daniel, a 27-year-old biochemist who lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, also got the chance to hold his 20-month-old son Martin, who is being held in the barbaric prison with his mother.

"The photo is especially poignant as Meriam will never see her beautiful daughter grow up. She is set to hang sometime in the next two years as the authorities said she will be executed when she has finished weaning Maya.

"And before the birth, Meriam made the defiant claim that she would rather die than give up her faith."


Daniel Wani Allowed To Visit Christian Wife In Sudan Prison; Holds Newborn Daughter Maya, by Arthur Martin, Urban Christian News

Please keep Asia Bibi strong in your heart and prayers!







May 28th:

"Pakistan (MNN) — Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who has been sentenced to death, has had her appeal postponed again.

"On May 27 Bibi was due to appeal her death sentence for blasphemy, but as with the last four occasions, it has been cancelled.

"No new date has been set..."

Fifth Appeal Postponed For Asia Bibi, by Heidi Boesl, Mission Network News

~~~~~

May 26th:

"Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi is due to have an appeal hearing on her death sentence for blasphemy on Tuesday, but will it be cancelled again?

"A hearing has been scheduled on four previous occasions only to be cancelled at the last minute by the court. 

"The last time, it was reportedly postponed when the counsel for the complainant did not turn up. 

"Bibi, a mother of five, has been in prison since being sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010.  The accusation followed a heated dispute with Muslim colleagues. 

"Blasphemy is a serious crime in Muslim-majority Pakistan and carries the death sentence, but human rights groups say the charges are often trumped up as a means of settling personal scores and vendettas.

Asia Bibi Death Sentence Appeal: Fifth Time Luck For Christian Mother Accused Of Blasphemy, by Cath Martin, Christian Today

~~~~~

May 6th:

"Following the news that Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian mother-of-five, has now been given a yet new date for her appeal, the fourth, against her death sentence for alleged blasphemy, a Pakistani Christian group based in the UK has launched a petition to help gain her freedom.

"'He has informed us that the appeal hearing for Asia Bibi has been set for a fourth time and will now be heard on 27th May 2014," said Chowdhry.The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) is also calling for a Presidential Pardon for her as she continues to languish on Death Row in a Pakistani prison where she has been since 2009..."

Asia Bibi Appeal Trial Date Set For Fourth Time In Pakistan, Christian Today

~~~~~

April 18th:

"A senior advocacy official remained concern Saturday, April 12, that a Pakistani appeals court will confirm the death sentence of Christian woman Asia Bibi, who has been charged with blasphemy against Islam.

"'Given the recent decisions made against people charged under the blasphemy law, it is not looking likely that the judgment against Asia will be favourable," said Nasir Saeed, a director of the Center for Legal Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which supports the Christian.

"She was to appear at the Lahore High Court Monday, April 14, where judges Sardar Tariq Massod and Abdula Sami Khan were to hear final arguments, Saeed told BosNewsLife. It was not immediately clear whether they would make a ruling on that day.

"A planned March 17 hearing was adjourned when one of the two judges failed to appear amid concerns over Islamic extremists, trial observers said.

"Bibi, a 45-year-old mother of five, has been in detention since 2009 after she reportedly told Muslim co-workers that Jesus Christ is alive. She made the remarks while working in the fields for a Muslim landowner, according to investigators."

Pakistan Appeals Court May Uphold Christian Woman's Death Sentence, Bos News Life

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April 15th:

"Asia Bibi has now had her court appeal postponed for the third time. The Christian Pakistani woman was accused of speaking against the prophet Muhammad in 2009 and sentenced to death by hanging in 2010..."

"...Pakistan has not carried out its death sentences for other citizens accused of blasphemy, but the accused are at risk of being killed by extremist groups while awaiting appeals. Bibi’s family, including five children, are also at risk and are forced to remain in hiding for their safety.  

"British Pakistani Christian Association chairman Wilson Chowdhry said, "I feel for Asia Bibi, her confidence of ever seeing justice must be waning. Expectations of justice and being reunited with her family grow as the trial dates near, each deferment simply shatters the fragile hope she maintains.'”

Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi's Court Appeal Rescheduled for Third Time, by Carrie Dedrick, Christian Headlines

~~~~~

April 14th:

The appeal hearing for Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi was today adjourned to a date unspecified.

Judges at Lahore High Court were expected to have heard final arguments in her appeal against a death sentence for 'blasphemy'.

The Punjab farm labourer has been detained since 2009 when she was accused of blaspheming against Islam's prophet Mohamed following a dispute with fellow workers.

Asia Bibi Appeal Postponed at Release International

~~~~~

March 27th:

 The Voice of the Martyrs USA says the Lahore High Court has, for the second time in two weeks, delayed the first hearing on Asia Bibi’s appeal of her conviction for blasphemy and the resulting death sentence.

A hearing last week was delayed because one of the two judges set to hear the case was unable to be in court. On March 26, the court convened once again, but had to delay the proceedings when the complainant was not present in the court room. The judges waited ten minutes and then announced a delay in the case.

In the case of Asia Bibi, the complainant, or “counterparty,” is Muslim mullah Qari Muhammed Sallam. Sallam is the man who submitted the original complaint in the case on June 19, 2009. The complaint accused Asia Bibi of speaking against the Islamic prophet, Mohammed, on June 14 of that year. Asia Bibi’s lawyers told Agenzia Fidesthat they will point to the five-day gap between the alleged statements and the complaint being filed as evidence that the charges were fabricated.

Asia Bibi was sentenced to death on November 8, 2010. Her appeal,  #2509, was filed with the Lahore High Court on November 11, 2010.

Another Delay for Asia Bibi, by Ruth Kramer, at Mission Network News

~~~~~

March 18th:

"An appeal hearing for a woman sentenced to death for blasphemy against Muslim beliefs has been postponed.

"Asia Bibi was sentenced to death by the Pakistani courts in 2010 after she was accused of breaking blasphemy laws. Authorities said she verbally abused Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and two Muslim co-workers. Bibi has denied those accusations.

"A new date for the appeal hearing has not been set. According to Pakistani law, two judges are required to be present in death penalty cases. One of the judges was absent for Monday’s proceedings.'"

Asia Bibi Blasphemy Trial Postponed at Christian Headlines


"Asia Bibi is due to appear in Lahore's High Court today as judges hear her appeal against a death sentence for blasphemy.

"The farm labourer from Punjab has been in prison since 2009 when she was accused of blasphemy following a dispute with her fellow workers. They had allegedly refused to drink water she had provided because they considered the Christian to be 'unclean'.

"Convicted in 2010, Asia is the first Christian woman to be sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy."

Asia Bibi's Appeal Due in Court Today, a Release International Prayer Alert

Lord, we bless those who are hurting and wounded from the storms in their lives.  I ask that you will bring the best out of all the people who have been adversely affected by this terrible event.  We place before You as an offering the men, women and children who are in pain and despair.

Lord, bring from this tragedy Your peace that is not effected by circumstances, Your stamina that does not burn out, Your compassion that does not overlook even the smallest details.

Help each one to discover beauty in everyone they meet,  to find release in  laughter when the stress and hard work is more than they can bare.  Give them friends who will share tears with them when they’re down.

Most of all, I pray, that each person will find the joy of a true friendship with You, and give themselves to You as an offering.  Lord, let it be that in the middle of their heartache, each person will be able to fix their attention on You and Your great love.  

In Jesus name, we pray.  
Amen.

Prayer for the Tornado Victims, by Linda G Howard, Belief Net

~~~~~~~~~~

"Three members of a family known for its leadership in the homeschool community died in a tornado Sunday evening in Arkansas. The storm system, which spawned dozens of tornadoes in southern states Sunday, Monday, and early Tuesday, has resulted in 31 deaths so far.

"The Tittle family of Paron, Ark., runs a bookselling business called ReformationKidz that’s popular among homeschoolers. Rob Tittle, 48, and two of his nine children—Tori, 20, and Rebekah, 14—died in the storm..."

"...The Tittles were among at least 17 people killed on Sunday by the storms, 15 of them in Arkansas. Dozens more were injured. The tornado that tore through Little Rock, the Arkansas capital, grew to be a half a mile wide. It touched down about 10 miles west of the city, then moved through northern suburbs in a path at least 30 miles long, according to the National Weather Service.More tornadoes spawned Monday and Tuesday. Monday saw at least 50 twisters, and 13 people dead, including two in Athens, Ala., where hail fell and winds knocked down trees and power lines, NBC News reported.

"The storm system affected numerous other communities throughout the South..."

Homeschool Family Among Tornado Victims, by Daniel James Divine, Christian Headlines 

Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. 

Colossians 4:1-4


“'Some people are saying that this election will result in people in control who will push through a nationwide anti-conversion law.”

"Five of India’s 28 states already have anti-conversion laws in place. This legislation makes it very difficult for people to change their religion.

“'The effect of an anti-conversion law is to severely restrict evangelistic workers and churches, and in some cases, lead to the imprisonment of people who were baptized or those who baptized them,” Stravers adds.

"Persecution happens mostly on the local level, Stravers says. Hindu radicals recently targeted two national Gospel workers involved in Mission India programs. The first woman was targeted because she operates a ministry with children."

Will You Add India To Your Prayer List? by Katey Hearth, Mission Network News 

God Bless Africa

Guard her children
Guide her leaders
And give her peace, for Jesus Christ's sake.
Amen.


Prayer from God Bless Africa



"30 Days 30 Peoples: A Prayer Journey for the Unreached, is a challenge for believers from around the world to be involved in praying that God would do a mighty work among Africa’s unreached.

By subscribing to prayafrica.org, you will receive a daily e-mail for 30 days with an outline of one people group per day.

"AIM challenges you to take 10 minutes to thoughtfully read over the day’s people group profile and intercede as the Lord speaks to you about their location, history, cultural values, and religious beliefs."

30 Days 30 Peoples Initiates Prayer for the Unreached in Africa, by Heidi Boesl, at Mission Network News