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"It is challenging to be on the run. Every day, we must strive for survival."
Moe Moe*, displaced several times in Myanmar
"We were forced to run away from our homes and our beloved villages, but we should not choose to run away from God; instead, we choose to run towards Him."
Pastor Sian*, one of the thousands of Christians displaced from their homes in India's Manipur State
"We were so sad when we arrived in this space. We started looking for a water source, and found it 2 km (about 1.2 miles) away from our place."
Pastor Soré*, displaced after repeated extremist attacks in Burkina Faso
These candid words from Moe Moe in Myanmar, Pastor Sian in India and Pastor Soré in Burkina Faso bring us up close to the difficult, often life-or-death, reality of millions of people around the world who have been driven from their homes because they have chosen to follow Jesus at all costs.
In some cases, such as in Iran, Christians may flee to other countries. In other countries, millions of believers are forced to become internally displaced persons (IDPs), living in temporary or even makeshift homes within the borders of their own nation. And in some villages and areas, churches and houses of Christians have been targeted and burned down completely, making it unlikely for displaced believers to return home.
World Watch List researchers found that in Myanmar alone, at least 40,000 Christians were forced from their homes or forced to go into hiding during the reporting period for the 2025 World Watch List. Globally, more than 180,000 Christians were displaced or forced into hiding because of their faith (and that doesn't include Christians who are displaced because of broader situations and experience discrimination or additional persecution in their displacement).
The problem is massive—and requires a massive response from God's people. Below, we introduce you to some of your brothers and sisters in Myanmar, India, Mexico and sub-Saharan Africa who are living displaced from everything they know and share 30 prayers you can pray for your family in Christ.
1 Pray for Myanmar, four years and almost six months into an increasingly violent conflict between the ruling military and rebel groups. Millions of people are displaced, and solutions, even a ceasefire, are nowhere in sight.
2 Well-established churches have been attacked. Pray specifically for healing and restoration for traumatized believers in the Christian-majority states of Chin, Kachin and Kayah.
3 An estimated 2.8 million citizens are displaced from their homes, living in overcrowded IDP camps or fleeing to the surrounding jungle. Ask God to provide for them and watch over their health.
4 Pray with Pastor Yang* and his wife. They were forced to flee their hometown where Yang worked as a teacher and a youth pastor. Pray for the couple's stability. They have had to move repeatedly.
5 Despite being displaced, Yang is passionate about serving and ministering to other displaced believers. Open Doors has partnered with him to bring critical support to persecuted Christians. Pray for their divine protection.
6 Pastor Mun* was also forced to flee his community. "We must leave our homes for our safety. We can no longer go to our churches," he says. Pray for guidance as he discerns next steps for him and his family.
7 Moe Moe (see above) and her husband participated in persecution preparedness training led by Open Doors partners. Ask God to help them apply what they learned, responding biblically when they encounter persecution.
8 Pray with Pastor Myint* and his wife May*. They lost everything because of their passion to share the gospel. Local villagers—empowered by the coup—destroyed their home and threatened their family.
9 May asks us to pray: "Because of the war and persecution, many believers are displaced, and we have lost connection with them. Please pray that they will remain faithful to Jesus."
10 Pray that God will touch the hearts of the military, the rebels and the people so that they will desire peace and be willing to forgive and reconcile with each other.
11 Displaced believers are boldly serving the Lord despite their ongoing challenges. Pray that God would continue to embolden them as they spend time with other displaced Christians.
12 Pray for peace in Myanmar and for God's will to reign in the hearts and lives of His people. Pray that displaced believers can return home with joy. Pray also for the restoration of peace in their hearts.
13 Tens of thousands of Christians in India remain displaced from their homes after a wave of brutal tribal violence struck their area in Manipur State in 2023. Ask God to strengthen, protect and comfort them where they are.
14 Pray with church leaders like Pastor Sian, who continue to serve churches and believers in Manipur after the violence and while living displaced from their home and community. Pray for their strength, protection and provision as they support their community.
15 Pray for Sian, his wife Jenny* and their daughter Tia* as they navigate their lives after being displaced. Ask for God's provision for their needs; pray especially for a new home where they can rebuild their lives.
16 Pray for the youth affected by the violence in Manipur. Many have been mentally and spiritually affected and are filled with anger and a desire for revenge. Some young people are even turning to drugs for relief. Ask God for healing, guidance, and to bring to life Sian's vision to create a library and coffee shop where he can counsel and share God's Word with young people.
17 Pray for Pastor Sian's work as an Open Doors' ministry partner; pray that God will continue to bless and strengthen his ministry.
18 Pray for your church leaders in Mexico who live in areas where violence forces them to leave their homes and ministries to protect their lives.
19 Pray with us for Juan* and Rebeca, ministry leaders who worked in the country's northern/central region for more than 15 years. They were sharing Jesus with people involved in the drug trade. But when one of the youth they were discipling was tortured and forced to reveal the names of his spiritual leaders, Juan, Rebeca and more than 150 believers were forced to leave their home. Pray for this traumatized teen and ministry couple. Half of the displaced population are Christian converts.
20 In Chiapas, in southern Mexico, more than 3,000 people, including Christians, have left their homes because of the constant clashes between criminal groups fighting for territory. Pray that God would guide His people as they start this new chapter away from their homes and community.
21 The situation has reportedly caused more than 100 evangelical churches to close their doors to protect the safety of pastors and believers. O God, we pray that You would rain down Your peace on Your people.
22 Pray with Open Doors' Mexico team as they serve the church in difficult regions. Our team tells us the prayers of the Body of Christ are "desperately needed" to help them continue their work.
23 By the end of 2022, a staggering 16.2 million Christians across sub-Saharan Africa had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to attacks and insecurity. Please pray for the Lord's strength, provision and hope.
24 Often, IDP camps are overcrowded, with poor hygiene conditions and little access to food. Pray the camps would be places of safety and unity. Ask God to protect His people from sickness.
25 Pray with our brother Jerome* who lives with his family in an IDP camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They fled when extremists killed his son. "The situation is very bad," he says. "If life goes on like this ... it's hard to live."
26 Pastor Barnabas* ministers to thousands of Christians in one of northern Nigeria's many IDP camps. He and his family were attacked by Fulani militants. Pray for Barnabas' ministry and perseverance.
27 Abraham is chairman of a displacement camp in northern Nigeria. His family of five has been there for three years, ever since Fulani militants devastated their village. Ask the Holy Spirit to sustain Abraham as he leads with purpose.
28 Pray with us for Pastor Soré. After the third extremist attack on his village in Burkina Faso, his family fled their homes. He asks us to pray for all Burkinabe believers to stand firm.
29 Pray for Open Doors' local partners as they come alongside persecuted believers, even as they, too, face the same conditions and risks. Ask God to strengthen their faith and emotional health, equipping and guiding them.
30 Pray for Open Doors' local partners as they come alongside persecuted believers, even as they, too, face the same conditions and risks. Ask God to strengthen their faith and emotional health, equipping and guiding them.
*Names changed for security reasons