Rohingya: No Place Like Home, No Place To Call Home - 14 Days Of Prayer

Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh The Rohingya people are a minority community from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. They have their own distinct culture and language and they are predominantly Muslim. There were an estimated one million Rohingya people living in Myanmar at the start of 2016, but the population has dropped significantly following an ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by Myanmar’s security forces. To escape the mass killings and atrocities, the Rohingya people fled, some by land and others by sea, to neighbouring countries. There is a small church among the Rohingya people, but because of their Muslim background, this little church is persecuted by their own community. Not only are these believers rejected by their own country, they are also rejected by their own people. In 2013 the United Nations described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted of minorities in the world. They have been denied citizenship in Myanmar under the 1982 Citizenship Law, and the Myanmar government even refuses to call this people group by their name; they are referred as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or ‘Bengalis’. With no real name and no place to call home, the Rohingya people are in dire need of prayer and support. Here you will find 14 prayer points for the Rohingya, to help you spend half month in prayer for them.     DAY 1: Pray for the safety of the Rohingya believers. They are so few in number and surrounded on all sides by those who oppose them – the authorities in Myanmar who don’t recognise them as citizens, and their fellow Rohingyas who see them as traitors for leaving Islam. Pray that God will guard these believers and protect them. DAY 2: Pray the believers would stand strong in their faith, even in the face of persecution. DAY 3: Pray for those suffering from trauma as a result of the horrific ethnic cleansing they have faced from the authorities in Myanmar and the persecution they experience from their own community. Pray for their healing and comfort. DAY 4: Pray for income-generating programs to help provide for the needs of believers. Pray that these programs would give believers the dignity of being able to provide for themselves and their families. Pray that these programs will be fruitful and a blessing to all those who participate. DAY 5: Pray for permits and asylum to be given to refugees to help them find new homes in different nations. Pray that they would be able to settle quickly in these new places, and feel welcome and safe. DAY 6: Pray for the provision of basic needs such as drinking water, medical care and food in the refugee camps. They are not given sufficient quantities of food to meet their daily needs. Pray that God would supply all their needs. DAY 7: Pray that refugee children will find a way to access education, especially those in countries where the law prohibits them from entering national schools. Pray that they will have opportunities to learn and grow, and that they will have hope for the future. Pray that God would be raising up future leaders from these young people.   DAY 8: Pray for young people who have become caught in substance abuse in order to escape the hardships in their life. Pray that God will send believers to help them find comfort in Jesus, and that God will break their cycles of addiction. DAY 9: Pray that the communities that surround the Rohingya people will love and care for this people group — helping them find a sense of belonging and home. DAY 10: Pray for wisdom and guidance for the Rohingya pastors and leaders. Pray that God will help them to be good and caring leaders. DAY 11: Pray for those who persecute the Rohingya believers, such as extremist groups and community leaders. Pray that these people will have a change of heart, and that the courageous witness of the Rohingya believers might draw their persecutors to faith. DAY 12: Pray for the potential re-entry of Rohingya people into Myanmar. Pray that the government will recognize their rights and afford them citizenship. DAY 13: Pray that more Rohingyas would come to faith in Jesus. Pray that Christ would reveal His love and his mercy to this community. DAY 14: Pray for believers and churches who gather to pray for and support minority communities. Your prayers provide so much strength for these believers and they are incredibly grateful for you. Pray that more believers will be inspired to stand with them in prayer and action.  

Myanmar ranks no.19 in the World Watch List.

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