But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:24

In the week of International Human Rights Day, on 10 December, we’re focusing on justice. Justice can seem pretty far away for many Christians living around the world. In many situations, Christians are living in countries where their government is either indifferent or actively hostile to them. For example, in Indonesia, the government routinely closes or demolishes churches, and in China, many human rights defenders have been imprisoned or harassed by the police.

This week, let’s remember those for whom justice is not a privilege taken for granted but a deeply-felt need, and thank God for delivering his justice in many of the cases we’ve been working on.

Please pray:

• Those in prison awaiting verdicts or reprieves in their cases, that God would ensure that justice prevails;
• Pray for lawyers and human rights defenders in China, many of whom are imprisoned or disappeared;
• Thank God for the release from prison of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, and pray for his continued safety;
• Pray for Christians who have no safe place to worship as the government has closed or demolished their church;
• Ask God to protect Christians who face harassment every day from governments who force them to choose between their citizenship and their faith;
• Thank God for justice in the case of the Sudanese pastors Rev Yat Michael and Rev Peter Reith, who were released following their imprisonment earlier this year;
• Pray for Christians who are imprisoned on charges of blasphemy, which is often used to discredit them with little evidence, and in many countries often carries the death penalty.