Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. — Psalm 82:3–4 (NLT)

Through this 2019–2020 Standing in the Gap prayer campaign, we have lifted to God the plight of children who are accused of being witches and violently abused. We have pleaded before him that families and communities that are ensnared in fear rooted in harmful, erroneous beliefs would be set free to experience the life and wholeness of Christ. We have prayed for the voices of suffering children to be heard and for families and affected communities to experience the healing and harmonious relationships that only Jesus and his truth can bring. We have thanked God for those on the ground who are addressing this issue and who, through example and teaching, are helping to bring about a real change in thinking, understanding and practice. 

The prayer of a child in Kinshasa accused of being a witch:

“God in heaven, the Father that helps above and below, God, I come close in front of you. I come to ask for your mercy in my life, and for the family that has kicked me out, saying that I am a witch, that I killed our dad. That’s why I come to you, because you, God, you reject no one, you accept everyone. That’s why I am in front of you, so that you have mercy on me. My God, don’t abandon me. Help me, I am your child. If you abandon me, I have nowhere else to go. That’s why I come in front of you, so that you have mercy on me, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”   

God in heaven… I come to ask for your mercy in my life.

We have prayed that many others would ‘hear the cry of the child’ such as that of this young boy in Kinshasa, and that they would act and speak out on their behalf. But what about us? Let us not pray a prayer to which we are not prepared to be the answer. Let us finish this prayer campaign in self–reflection and ask ourselves, “How does God want me to respond? How does God want my church or organisation to respond?”

Let us Pray

Lord Jesus Christ, please respond to the prayer of this young boy in Kinshasa and those of thousands of children like him. Show them your love and mercy. Raise up those who will reach out to rescue them and offer loving care and protection. Where there is darkness in thinking and understanding, bring light; where there is distorted thinking, bring revelation of your truth; where there is abuse, bring your justice and righteousness to bear and a cessation of all accusations and violence. Bring healing and reconciliation to broken relationships. Restore your Church to truly reflect your character and to lead the way in creating societies where every child is loved, valued, kept safe and free to become all that you intend. Show me, Lord, how I can be used by you to be an answer to these prayers. For your glory. Amen.