The war rages on in Iran, and this week was no exception. Each morning arrives with yet more photos of hollowed-out buildings, billowing oil tankers, and anxious faces. Another press conference and news story; yet more speculation on the country’s future and oil prices.
You’ve probably already seen it this morning.
And though it’s far off, the war still impacts us. Not just energy bills, but the slow eroding of hope in the world. ‘When will this end? What can we do but watch?’ we ask ourselves. Numb apathy soon sets in.
But hope is not lost for Iran. As Christians with a mighty Father in heaven, we can trust that God is working good even through the conflict. What others have intended for evil, he will surely use for “the saving of many lives” - as he has countless times before.
Hope
Many may not know, but Iran has experienced something of a revival over recent decades. Despite the totalitarian regime and brutal persecution - beatings, imprisonments, murders - the church has flourished. The number of Christians, at roughly 100,000 in 1994, has grown rapidly, with current estimates ranging between 500,000 and 3 million. 3 million! Some argue that the Iranian church is the fastest-growing in the world. The kingdom of God is advancing with force in this nation (and has been for a while), even amid great suffering. So even now, with fresh waves of upheaval, we can trust that God will continue his work. Hope is not lost.
Pray
Flowing from hope, we pray. For us in London, there’s little else we can do - yet even this small act is a mighty one. In praying, we call upon the limitless power of God, who created the universe with just a word and sustains it every second. So, while our prayers might feel feeble, our God, who loves to answer them, certainly isn’t. As preacher Charles Spurgeon once put it, "Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence."
What should we pray for? Pray for lasting peace in Iran and the Middle East, that the war and its brutalities would cease, but pray too for the church and the kingdom of God. The war in Iran did not start last week - at least spiritually speaking - and the true enemy is not the hard-line clerics but the devil, bent on spreading destruction and death throughout the world.
So, more than anything, pray for our many brothers and sisters in Iran. Pray that they would know the comfort of Christ and hold on to him, whatever the circumstances or cost. And pray that the church would continue to grow and thrive, reaching many more millions with the gospel of Jesus.
These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.