Torture Could Not Shake This Eritrean’s Faith

Last month, we prayed for 44 Christians arrested in Eritrea. While we do not have an update on their situation, we’d like to share with you the testimony of how God sustained one Eritrean prisoner recently released:

At age 21, Twen Theodros had only believed in Jesus two years when she was arrested for attending a house church gathering. Over the next 16 years, the young woman faced extreme torture to renounce her faith, but she remembered Jesus’ words:

“Every one who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 10:32-33 RSV

Beaten by guards and locked in a shipping container in extreme heat, she felt the Holy Spirit filling her with joy and knew she was there because “God wanted to show His glory in my life.” Under merciless blows, she told her persecutors, “God gave me life; to give Him my life is a small thing.” They tortured her all the more.

“I received grace to endure the pain, and when I looked at the people who were beating me, I realized that although I was suffering now, this would take me to glory,” she said. “My torturers were laughing, but I knew their end would be loss, so I started to love them. At that moment, a verse of scripture came into my heart, and I prayed: ‘Forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.'”

(Click here to read the full story by Release International.)

Thank You, Lord, for the way You sustained Twen. Please do the same for the other 500-1,000 Christians imprisoned in Eritrea who also face extreme heat and torture to renounce You. Have mercy on Your precious ones. Release from prison those held captive. Protect them from harm. Provide for all their needs. Strengthen their faith. Remind them of Your Word, and let them feel You near. Speak comfort to them, and empower them to share Your love, even in the face of hunger, thirst, fatigue and beatings. Be Light in the darkness of Eritrea, so bright that every heart is drawn to You like moths to a flame. Hide believers from those who wish to do them harm. Deepen their love. Teach them all the more how to trust in You. Empower them with Your Spirit. And SHINE. Fill Your people with such peace and joy, even in the midst of terrible persecution, that everyone around them will wonder in awe and ask questions that lead to their salvation. Surround every Christian with Your angel armies. When persecutors raise a hand or weapon to harm one of Your precious children, open their eyes to see You standing there, towering over them, shielding those who love You and offering forgiveness and salvation to evildoers who repent. Invade persecutors’ dreams. Visit them in visions throughout the day. Give them a Saul-like encounter with You (Acts 9) so powerful they drop all their weapons of hatred and violence, and fall trembling at the feet of Love. Transform them so dramatically by Your love and grace, they boldly advocate and arrange for the escape or release of hundreds of believers from prison and stand in the way of further arrests. Bring forth such a movement of evildoers to faith that the government drops its quest to kill, and chooses instead policies and laws that bring forth life. Raise up into positions of power those who will bless the citizens of Eritrea, not perpetuate their suffering; who will open the way for freedom of religion and for Your Gospel to spread to every corner of the country. Give Christians strength to stand strong in the midst of suffering. Especially new believers and children. Meet them in powerful ways, as they suffer dehydration, hunger and extreme temperatures in jail cells. Stand as their Shield, bearing the blows for them that otherwise would be unbearable. Fill them with compassion and forgiveness for those who torture them, and give them the words that bring forth life in the barren deserts of those hearts so bent on evil and death. As their persecutors force them to renounce their faith or die, empower Christians to look to You and SHINE with the light of Your glory (Acts 7), so that all can see. Thank You, Jesus, for those honored now in Heaven because they gave their lives for the One who gave His life for us.

In just a few days, we will begin our 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening. From March 23 to April 21, here at the Prayer Wall. Come join our army as we pray for these closed nations, for persecuted Christians, for their persecutors and for seekers who don’t know how to find Christ:

Mikaela Vincent and her husband are missionaries who live by faith, trusting in God to provide for their needs as they pray for and share Christ with the nations. If you would like to help their ministry through a donation, or by shopping at Mikaela’s online bookstore, click the buttons below:

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