Cry out for protection

This month, we bring Uganda and our family of faith in the country before the Lord as they face targeting by jihadists.

This month’s reading

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

my soul and body with grief.

My life is consumed by anguish

and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction,

and my bones grow weak.

Psalm 31:9-10

Devotional

In the fifth most violent country in sub-Saharan Africa for Christians, although the government and society widely support freedom of religion, Uganda has suffered a rise in terror attacks since 2020. This includes the Lhubiriha School massacre in 2023, in which 42 people, among them 38 teenagers, were tragically killed.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic State affiliate operating from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, is thought to be targeting Uganda. The ADF kills hundreds of civilians annually in Congo.

It’s worrying that even in a country like Uganda, a militant group like the ADF can implement its Islamic expansionist ideology by terrorising innocent civilians.

Let’s cry out for protection over our brothers and sisters who live with the daily fear of being targeted by groups like the ADF.

O God of mercy, our refuge and defender, You see every hidden danger, every child at risk, every believer threatened for following You. Father, draw near to Your people in Uganda and shelter them from the attacks of the evil one.

As we cry out to God for their protection like the Psalmist, we trust the Lord as He is our God and our lives and the lives of our family in Uganda are in His hands (Psalm 31:14-15). And we know that He preserves us by sustaining and helping us through the things we face in this life, so we take heart as we hope in the Lord (Psalm 31:23-24).

Reflect

Where do you sense the weight of Uganda’s suffering as you read Psalm 31?

What does trusting God for protection look like in your own times of fear or uncertainty?

Respond

• Lament the violence, pressure and hostility faced by believers in Uganda.
• Pray for God’s protection over children and vulnerable converts.
• Pray for strength, courage and unity in the Church.
• Ask God to expose and dismantle systems of exploitation and radicalisation.

*Note: Violence is defined in WWL Methodology as the deprivation of physical freedom or as bodily harm to Christians or damage to their property. It includes severe threats (mental abuse).