Pray for the Hostages

Welcome to the daily prayer service offered by the members of Pray for the Hostages. Our mission is to pray for the hundreds of men and women held captive in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Colombia, and other parts of the world.

These hostages include journalists, aid workers, civilian contractors, crewmen on ships, and some military personnel. Some of these have been recently kidnapped, others have been held for years. What they all have in common is the urgent need for prayers of protection while they await rescue from the hands of their captors.

We need to pray that God will give them the strength to endure their ordeal, and that He will save them from despair. We need to pray for their families and loved ones who must endure anxiety and uncertainty and the pain of separation. We need to pray for the leaders of nations to make wise decisions that will save the lives of these hostages without encouraging future attacks against other innocent people. And we need to pray that the hearts of those engaging in these brutal crimes will be turned away from the evil that threatens to destroy them and their victims.

Since the inception of this group earlier this summer, there have been several dramatic rescues of hostages, as well as others being released through negotiations or ransom payments. Some of these were people who had been given up for dead after months or years of no contact. This should encourage us to keep praying and never give up hope.

We have a big job ahead of us, but with God anything is possible. Let's keep praying until all the hostages are home.

There is also a blog where you can stay up-to-date on these issues. The Pray for the Hostage blog is HERE.

Some people you might recognize are the folks who are responsible for this effort, Vicki Claudio, Wyatt McIntyre, Matt Cochran, Annieb and I are all a part of both the BTR show and the blog.

Why don't you join us, and Pray for the Hostages!

Pastor Ed