A Captive’s Prayer

Whether you know someone who was captured for some reason or you yourself have been taken captive by someone, prayer is one of the greatest responses you can have, besides trying to escape. There are a few circumstances where someone can get kidnapped or become a captive. It could be that a person is traveling in an area where some bandits or pirates kidnap people for ransom. Another example is when a soldier gets captured by insurgents. 

If you get captured by hostile people, there is a range of different emotions that you may experience—feelings such as fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness. That is why we need to pray. At the end of the day, it is only God we can cling to when we find ourselves in these situations.

If you know someone who is held captive (you can modify the prayer) or in the event you get captured, here is one simple prayer you can pray:

Heavenly Father, it is only You to Whom I can cling as I go through this dark time in my life. Your love is steadfast, and You are merciful and gracious. You are my refuge and my fortress, Lord; the One I trust and the One Who can deliver me from my physical captivity. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What do you pray for someone going through a hard time?

Heavenly Father, I pray for [name of the person], who is currently being held captive, that You would give them the grace and mercy they need as they go through a season of hardship. Remind them, Lord, that even while they are being held captive, You are with them and You will never leave them nor forsake them. We thank You because even in captivity they do not have to be depressed, for they have joy in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If someone is being held captive, we can hardly imagine how hard it is for that person unless we have been in their position. Therefore, we should pray for God’s grace and mercy for the person, as they can get by only through God’s grace and strength. You can also pray James 1:2-4 for the person—that they do not have to be depressed as they go through their trial, but they can count it as joy because trials can produce steadfastness in them. In Christ, we have this joy that can never be taken away from us. It is not dependent on our circumstances. Therefore, you can also pray for joy to overflow in them despite what they are going through and perhaps that they’ll have the opportunity to preach Christ to the ones holding them captive, as the apostle Paul did.

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Here is one of the ways you can pray for joy as one goes through very challenging times:

Heavenly Father, I pray for [name of the person], that You would remind them even in their time of captivity that their joy is hinged upon Christ and not on their circumstance. I pray that even in times of captivity, joy would overflow in them; that it won’t be sadness or hopelessness they dwell on but, rather, their joy in You, Lord Jesus. I pray that they will still have this grateful heart toward You despite their circumstance because there is always something to be grateful for, such as still being alive. Protect them from any harm and danger, God. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do you pray for someone who is scared?

Fear is expected when someone is held captive. Who wouldn’t be afraid? However, one should not remain in fear. That is one of the things you can pray for someone who is held captive or even for yourself if ever you get captured. It is written in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God does not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control. We can pray that particular Bible verse, and we can also pray for peace. Surely, being held captive feels as terrifying as being in a violent storm. There are also several other verses that you can pray:

Psalm 56:3-4

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

You can pray these verses in this manner:

Heavenly Father, I pray for [name of the person], that You would bring to their remembrance that You have not given them a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control. In Christ, they can have this “shalom” kind of peace even if they are being held captive. I pray that they will seek You, Lord, and trust in You whenever they feel afraid. I also pray for divine protection upon [name of the person], that no evil or harm shall befall them. I pray that the authorities will be able to rescue them soon. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Genesis 50:20

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Ephesians 2:14

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Psalm 91:9-10

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

As you pray for someone held in captivity, know that you can, and you should, cast Your anxieties to God and never worry, because He cares for you. It is God Who holds all things, not the captors. We can still have peace in Christ and be confident in Him that no matter what happens, it shall work for our good, just as it did for Joseph, the son of Jacob.