Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: June 5, 2021
‘You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.’ (Psalm 139:1-2 NIV)
Psalm 139 is an amazing encouragement about how God knows and delights in every person he’s created. Pray this psalm over missing people this week, remembering that our Heavenly Father sees them and loves them wherever they are; no-one is beyond his reach.
Every year, thousands of people of faith are taken by force and simply disappear. Each one leaves behind families and loved ones who are plunged into uncertainty – torn apart by grief yet tortured by the hope that their loved one may still be alive.
Many live for the rest of their lives with the emotional torture of never knowing what happened, and the impact can last for generations.
Meanwhile, those responsible often refuse to yield any information and can make it almost impossible to prove that they were ever involved in an abduction.
However, we remember the encouragement of Psalm 139: that God knows the whereabouts of every person. His presence is with them, even in the darkest of situations.
This June, join us in standing alongside victims of enforced disappearance, their families and their loved ones.
An update on Professor Tarfa’s trial
In Nigeria, 1 June saw a further postponement of the trial of Professor Tarfa, the co-founder of the Du Merci orphanages, who is falsely accused of child abduction. This time the delay is due to a nationwide strike by court workers. This is frustrating news to say the least, especially for the children who were taken from the care of Du Merci orphanage and the only parents they have ever known, and are experiencing mistreatment in government-run homes.
We’ll let you know as soon as we hear any more news. Meanwhile, as it says in Psalm 70, we pray that God would move quickly to ensure all charges against Professor Tarfa are dropped, and the children are returned. ‘You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.’ (Psalm 70:5)
In summary, please pray:
- That the unjust charges against Professor Tarfa will be quickly dropped at a new court date and the children will be returned soon afterwards.
- That stories of the missing will reach thousands of people and stir their hearts to pray, raise awareness, and give generously so that we can continue raising their cases with people in power.
- For an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to comfort the families of the forcibly disappeared as they grieve in uncertainty.