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Silas told him that God had a sterling plan for his life, and that he would care for him and guide him if he would only follow his son, Jesus. Before the night was over, the official prayed to receive Jesus.

The next miracle was that the official advanced to a high position—without bribes. He advanced high enough to know when church raids were about to take place, so he could tip off Silas.

"He would tell us on Saturday that the police were coming on Sunday morning, so they'd come and find nobody there," the pastor said. "Then we'd meet for worship in the afternoon."

These miracles, the pastor concluded, could not have happened without the prayers of believers worldwide. Many other oppressed believers tell of receiving supernatural consolation in the midst of their ordeals. Suffering Christians are actually protected, comforted, and rescued through our prayers. That's probably the best reason to pray during IDOP this year.

Compass Direct managing editor Jeff M. Sellers is a former CT associate editor.

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Compass Direct writes about the persecuted church.

More on IDOP is available from our site.

The official IDOP site has more information about the observance, including an article about why we should pray for the persecuted church.

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November (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49