“Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.”
Prayers are rising around the world for American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout, 48, who was reportedly kidnapped in Niamey, the capital of Niger, where he had been serving with the mission organization SIM (Serving In Mission). According to reports, Rideout was abducted from his home in the highly secured Château 1 district—near the Bravia Hotel and only a few hundred meters from the presidential palace—despite the area being considered one of the most secure parts of the city.
A U.S. State Department representative in Niamey confirmed that efforts are underway to secure his release, stating, “It is a top priority for the Trump Administration to ensure the safety of every American,” and noting that the U.S. government is fully mobilized for his rescue. The U.S. Embassy in Niamey has since issued a security alert, warning that the threat of kidnapping targeting Americans has increased nationwide, and has implemented strict movement restrictions and enhanced security protocols for embassy staff and their families.
Kevin Rideout and his brother Ian, both pilots with SIM based in Charlotte, North Carolina, have been involved in extensive humanitarian work across West Africa, including drilling wells, assisting refugees, supporting hospitals, aiding flood victims, teaching literacy, restoring forests, and caring for orphans and widows. Their aviation ministry has enabled crucial support to remote mission fields and communities in need, bringing hope and relief to vulnerable populations.
The Christian community has responded in urgent prayer. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, shared concerns that Rideout may have been taken into territory controlled by ISIS-affiliated groups and called on believers worldwide to pray for his protection and safe return. Rideout’s close friend, Gomer Williams, urged continued prayer, saying, “Kevin is being held in conditions most Americans cannot imagine. Pray that God comforts him, gives him hope and strength, and opens the door for him to share the gospel with his captors. The God in Kevin is greater than the evil in the world.”
U.S. Congressman Mark Harris also joined the prayer campaign, asking people to intercede for Rideout’s rescue, his family’s strength, and peace in this unimaginable ordeal.(Source : Christian Post, Edited version)
Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.(Psalm 38:20-22,NIV)
God, we urgently seek Your intervention as we receive the news that missionary Kevin, who has served in a foreign land for the name of Jesus through aviation ministry, has been kidnapped by unknown assailants. Please protect his life while he is held captive, and in Your mercy grant swift help so that he may be safely rescued soon. Strengthen the U.S. government to rely on You and to do all that is necessary to bring him home. Sustain Kevin’s faith in captivity, that even in hardship he may hold onto hope and continue to bear witness to the Gospel. Hear the earnest prayers of Your church and reveal Your salvation in Niger and throughout the world, that all may know You are the living God.
Prayer 24·365
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