I have been hoping to write something to recognize the upcoming 3-year anniversary of Saeed Abedini’s imprisonment in an Iranian prison.  I think most Christians recognize his name and understand that he is an American pastor, unjustly held and tortured for his faith.  I feel a little strange writing about this after my recent post which mentioned, but was not about, an elected clerk who was jailed in Kentucky for taking a stand defending biblical marriage.  The point of my last post was about support for one another in the body of Christ.  And the point of this post is not about the controversial nature of imprisonment for one’s faith (I have heard some condemn Pastor Abedini, contending that he got what he deserved).  My point is—how are we going to bear one another’s burdens if we focus on judgment or criticism?  How are we going to obey the instruction, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”? (Galatians 6:2).

If we are well acquainted with scripture, how can we possibly believe that following Jesus is safe?  Do we have the same courage as Peter and John who, after a lame man was healed through the power of the Holy Spirit and their ministry, after they were arrested and threatened, boldly declared, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19, 20).

There will come a time when the scriptures, when obeying God while experiencing religious freedom, will collide with the culture and laws of man, because unredeemed mankind may consider what they are doing is right and just, but if it isn’t aligned with the Bible, it is wrong!  And we may think that in those moments of dilemma we will make the right decisions; however, if we do not know God’s Word and honor it as such, we could very well make the wrong ones.  If we are “leaning on our own understanding” instead of trusting God with our whole heart, it will be much more difficult to make right choices.

Naghmeh Abedini (Saeed’s wife) called on Christians to focus their prayers, along with fasting, for the twenty-one days leading up to September 26, the anniversary of Saeed’s imprisonment—not only praying for him but also the persecuted church all over the world.  Here are a few of the points on which she suggested we focus our prayers (quoted from her profile page on a social media site):

• “Consider fasting. Choose one day, one meal or one thing to give up.  Let this time remind you to stand in prayer with #Saeed and the persecuted church.”
• “Call a friend, family member, or prayer partner. Spend time praying for one another’s families.  Next, pray together for the grace of God to surround families who suffer for their commitment to Christ.”
• “Pray that hearts of the persecuted will experience the rich and deep comfort of the Lord. That His love will be an outflow of light even in dark places.”
• “As an individual or a family, choose one entertainment activity to skip today. Use this this time to pray together for the persecuted church.”
• “Write #Hope on your hand. Let it remind you to pray for hope, deepened faith, and a renewed awareness of the Love of God to surround the persecuted church and Saeed.”

Self-denial is a foreign concept in a culture driven by indulgence and a philosophical system that rejects self-deprivation, particularly in regards to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).  Yet by the grace of God, my daughter and I have been able to join our hearts and our prayers with the Abedini family by giving up some things for a time.  We have seen personal strongholds shaken and have experienced the enemy’s attacks attempt to discourage, defeat, and destroy us.  But guess what?  He is a defeated foe and we are victorious!  We have begun praying together and satan and his minions cannot possibly like that—however, God’s grace and power we will continue to grow in our warrior stance.

A couple of other things I want to mention for consideration; Wednesday, September 23, is Yom Kippur—the Jewish day of atonement.  I recognize that we are no longer bound by the Old Covenant religious system of worship; yet it would be a good day for us to pray for the Jewish people, that they would recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah and come to repentance.  …that the church in this age would be “clothed with humility”, and that we would humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:5, 6).  …that we would “put off, concerning [our] former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of [our] mind[s], and  that [we] put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

The other thing I want to mention is a recent post by Naghmeh Abedini:

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:

Dear friends,

I have been invited to attend the joint meeting of congress on September 24 in Washington DC where the Pope will speak. It is something that came up unexpectedly during this time of prayer and fasting and I believe it is from the Lord. Would you please pray that if it is the Will of God I would be able to meet with the Pope to address Saeed’s imprisonment and to share what the Lord lays on my heart to share? I am doing a 3 day Esther fast for the meeting and will be taking in only liquids. Please feel free to join me if the Lord leads you.

Thank you! God Bless you all!

Naghmeh

Let us consider joining her in prayer for this amazing opportunity!

Thanks,

Sue

(To read an interesting article on the legal ramifications surrounding Kim Davis, click here.)