Isaiah 40:30 — Though people of youth grow weary and tired and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength and will not become weary.
Today – Pray that our prayer team will endure (that means you too!) to the end to pray for Iranians.
During the month of September 2008, many Muslims around you will begin to prepare themselves to fast. In fact, about 1.3 billion people across the Islamic world will all fast – men and women and even children from about seven years old. This time of fasting happens during the month called “Ramadan”, (which is the name of the 11th month from the Islamic calendar) from sunrise to sunset (the time when the new crescent moon appears).
Since the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, a year is 11 days shorter than ours (354 days). In many Muslim countries this year people will be fasting during long, hot days with approximately 16 to 18 hours of sunlight.
The fasting month of Ramadan belongs to the earliest obligations of faith in Islam; Muhammad mentioned this around the year 610 A.D. in partial support to Jewish fasting. Later it became one of the “5 Pillars” of the Islamic Faith.
In Islamic understanding, the patience and obedience of the believer is put to the test during this fasting month. People remember through fasting the qualities of Allah and his care for the poor. Because of the spiritual dimension to fasting, many Muslims study the Koran and visits increase to mosques during Ramadan.
At the same time, fasting becomes a lifelong, heavy burden. Many people don’t get enough water and health problems arise. Although fasting during Ramadan is a statement of Islamic faith, in radical Islam it is punishable to not fast.
World-wide, Christians pray in a united manner for Muslims, who do not experience Jesus as their advocate with the father, their unconditional acceptance as loved children of God and the firm certainty of forgiveness and salvation. As Christians pray coinciding with Ramadan, many people in Islamic countries have in different ways heard and entrusted their lives to Jesus. We would like you to join these other prayer warriors. To coincide with Ramadan a small prayer guide has been produced. Each prayer is tied to a passage from the prophecies of Isaiah. A dated request for each day will be posted. Please pray for the request on the date in the post title.
Thanks for your interest in praying for Iranians. Please check back and begin praying on September 1st.
The phone calls come at all hours, and lately the voices carry a sharper edge of anxiety. Amin* dutifully answers the calls. With eyes often threatening to spill tears, he assures the caller that he will do all he can… “And I will pray for you,” he adds.
Amin knows the importance of prayer since he, like those he tirelessly helps, is an Iranian refugee. Amin fled Iran over ten years ago. As he examines the last decade as a refugee, he says, “The prayers of believers all over the world have kept me alive… they have been more than a miracle to me.”
Prayer is needed more than ever these days as reports of illegal deportations and refugees dying at the hands of human traffickers have caused panic in the refugee community.
Amin spends his days helping Iranians escape persecution by working in a refugee advocacy group. He takes each rejection with heartache and each success with unbridled joy. His passion however is serving God, which he does tirelessly and often without thanks. It is this passion that causes conflicting emotions in Amin as he sees more Iranians fleeing westward because of Christian persecution. “I used to meet with people who were leaving to find a better life or because of political reasons. These days 98 percent of the Iranian refugees I meet have suffered because of their faith in Jesus.”
Amin goes on to say that he is happy for Iranian Christians as they discover personal freedom but is saddened that his beloved homeland is losing “real” Christians. “America doesn’t need any more Christians-Iran does; it desperately needs real Christians.” Even as Amin discusses the need for Iranian believers to return to dangerous situations, he realizes that God may require him to go home. “Some days I feel like going to the police and saying, ‘I am an illegal refugee, send me back to Iran.’” Amin’s return to Iran would mean certain imprisonment and possibly much worse.
Recently Amin’s pastor called from America. In the course of the conversation, he asked Amin, “How can I pray for you?” After a moment, Amin answered, “Pray for God’s will to be done in my life.” The pastor, who is one of Amin’s closest friends, replied, “That is a dangerous thing to pray for.”
As Amin recounted the conversation, he said, “If I am not in God’s will, it doesn’t matter where I live or what I have.” Besides the calls from needy refugees, Amin has also been receiving threatening calls from people who resent his work and his faith.
Amin is a hunted man without a home who resides comfortably in God’s will.
* name has been changed for security reasons
1. Pray for M who will be taking over as leader of a Persian house group meeting in a small town in Turkey. The former leader and his family have recently received refugee status and will be moving to another country. Give praise that the former leader spent time to prepare M to take over the group and that all in the group give their blessing for this leadership change. Pray that the group will continue to grow and thrive under M’s leadership.
2. Pray for a group of Persians who are living in a small town in Turkey. Because of recent events, they are very concerned that someone is “spying” on the group of believers and causing problems for them with authorities. Pray for protection for the group. Pray for wisdom in knowing who to trust. More importantly, pray that they will not be frightened into keeping silent and not telling others of their faith. Pray that God will be glorified in this town and that many more will come to know Him.
1. The young Persian church in Iran continues to need theological training. There are not enough study resources to properly equip new believers or pastors. Recently a training session was scheduled to cover several books of the Bible. About a month before the classes began S received confirmation of an appointment to interview for a visa to the US. She would not be able to do both. For one week S prayed, asking God which she should do. She realized God wanted her to attend the classes instead of going to the interview. The desire of her heart is to receive quality Bible teaching. This is the desire of many believers in Iran, especially house church leaders. Ask God to meet their need.
1. Please pray for the development of a series of children’s discipleship programs that can be broadcast over TV into the areas where Sorani Kurdish speakers live. The programs are all written, directed, and produced by local national believers. The proposed series will consist of 121 15-minute episodes complete with great music, puppets, and painting, all with a solid focus on teaching discipleship basics to children. At the current time, two pilot demo videos have been produced. Pray for field personnel as they seek to share these demos with Sorani Kurds to obtain feedback on them. Pray also for field workers as they seek to share these demos with international satellite broadcasters in hopes that they would pick them up and broadcast them. Finally, pray for the resources to develop all 121 episodes, if it is in fact the Lord’s will for them to be shown.
Hopelessness abounds in the former Soviet Union and grief is evident in the faces of the relatives of those who died in the Itek Air flight.
Given the current rate of evangelization in Kyrgyzstan, the chances are very high that no one on that flight ever heard the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Consider also that many passengers were from Iran and the odds drop even more.
Sixty eight people who had never heard the Gospel died in one plane crash.
Pray that God would speed His work in Central Asia, that hearts would be opened to hear the Gospel and that many would come to faith in Jesus Christ.
The story from BBC is here.
Only days after moving to Turkey, we began the process of shopping for furniture for our empty apartment. Through that shopping experience, I became friends with one of the ladies who walked us around a showroom. We didn’t buy furniture from her store, but she had been so nice, so helpful, and so welcoming that first day that I was compelled to respond to her invitation to come back to visit again. I was able to quickly identify myself as a believer, and as the weeks went by our friendship really blossomed.
About 6 months later my husband and I had to do some traveling. About two months went by with no news from her. She had started a new job, and I couldn’t get in touch with her. I had never been to her apartment, so I didn’t know where she lived. I called, sent text messages, and waited. I just continued praying and asking the Father to bring her back into my life if He wanted my relationship to continue.
One day about a month ago my husband went to the bank to take care of some business. While he was there, my friend came in. She was so excited to see him! She quickly explained that she lost her cell phone (without having my phone number written down anywhere) and wrote a short note to me with her new cell phone number. (I found out later that she and her daughter actually came to our apartment one day during those two months to look for me, but we weren’t home.) For the past month we have again had the opportunity to visit each week.
I praise the Father for the way He answered my prayer to reconnect me with this dear friend and for the way He has deepened our relationship in the last few weeks. She is really opening up about difficulties in her marriage and family and it is very clear to her that my relationship with my husband is very different from hers. Please pray for D. and other women like her who are so unhappy and feel so hopeless in their marriages. Please pray that I, and other believing women, will continue to have opportunities to share the hope of JC and that He will change their hearts and homes.
1. A small group of believers face severe persecution. They have been told to deny Christ or face public execution. Please pray these believers will stand firm in the faith. Please pray their faithfulness will have a powerful impact on the other believers’ faith. Please pray that the government will not act on these threats.
2. Please pray for a group of materials that was recently delivered into the country. Please pray that these materials will find their way into the hands of those whose hearts have been prepared to receive the Good News.
