Agnes and her son had cleaned up from their family dinner and had headed to sleep for the night, when suddenly they heard the sound of sporadic gunshots.
They jolted out of bed. Agnes quickly grabbed her son and found a corner in which to hide. However, Muslim extremists forced their way into the house and shot at them.
Agnes says, “It was about 9:00 p.m. when the Fulani Muslim militant herdsmen invaded our village. I was already in bed with my son when they broke into our home. They cut me with a machete on my back, hands and thighs. They left us thinking they had killed us, but we survived the attack and were rescued the following morning and taken to the hospital.”
Agnes and Gabriel survived the attack, but others in the village were not as fortunate.
Sadly, Agnes’ story is a familiar one out of Nigeria. The nation is known as “The Christian Murder Capital of the World” for good reason: more Christians are killed there every year than the rest of the world—combined. In 2021, a Nigerian Christian was tragically murdered for their faith every two hours on average, resulting in 4,650 believers killed. In 2022, the amount increased further. And these horrific attacks continue halfway into 2023.
Will you join us in praying for persecuted Christians in Nigeria like Agnes and her son?
Let’s pray for their physical protection:
Father God, we think of our persecuted family in Nigeria. We think of their physical well-being as the death toll mounts. We pray boldly for their protection. We pray that not one more bullet will take an innocent life. We ask You to shield and protect Your children from great harm. Save them, Father. Let not one more life be taken for their faith in You.
Let’s pray for their emotional well-being:
Our great God, we come before You and plead for the emotional well-being of our Christian family in Nigeria. We can’t even begin to comprehend the full gravity of their situation, where the threat of an attack is not just the thing of news articles, but actual reality. We pray You protect their peace of mind and let their peace in You be contagious: touching their family, friends and neighbors. Wash over them and let them feel Your constant presence, even in the unknown.
And let’s pray these persecuted Christians will not hate their enemies, but will instead pray for and love them:
Lord, hate is something that can grow inside of us, as a small bud at first. One that then takes deep root and controls our lives. We pray our brothers and sisters in Nigeria will not hate, but love. We ask You to clothe them with Your understanding, that they will see these attackers not as brutal, mindless killers, but as Your precious creations. What a hard prayer, Father. We ask that You help our brothers and sisters love. Let Your love be the ultimate example.
*Representative photo used
About The Author
Tim Dustin is a staff writer for Global Christian Relief, a nonprofit Christian ministry that works to strengthen persecuted believers and raise awareness regarding Christian persecution. For more information, visit our website at GlobalChristianRelief.org.
