Pray for the Christians in Devinuwara, a town in the Matara District of southern Sri Lanka, that they will continue to be vigilant and to cling to God following attacks this past spring.
On April 23 at about 9 in the morning, 30 Buddhist monks, together with villagers, surrounded the Assemblies of God (AOG) church premises. The mob hurled death threats, grabbed Bibles from the female congregants and threatened to destroy the church if the services are not stopped.
The pastor was not present at the time this attack took place, but subsequently, he received credible information that another attack on the church was being planned. On May 18, a mob of nearly 2,000, led by 30-40 Buddhist monks, conducted a large demonstration. Shops were closed, black flags were hung in the town, and once again, they threatened that the church would be destroyed. The protest was well-organized and accomplished with the knowledge of the local police. The perpetrators filmed the incident and uploaded it on Facebook.
And then on May 21, during Sunday services, four or five women entered the church and disrupted the service shouting derogatory words and death threats.
We call on You, Father, to silence the insults and threats of the opposition. Protect the work of Your church; strengthen Your people to stand firm in Your Word in the face of the enemy. Replace fear with peace and confidence in the strength of Your Holy Spirit to prevail against the darkness of this present age. Defeat those who stand against Your church by the power of the gospel to turn enemies into fellow servants of Christ and heirs of the kingdom. In the name of Jesus, “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph 3:20). Amen.
