An Urgent Prayer Request
April 13, 2003
Dear Friends,
Rather than provide you with the normal Thought For the Week this week, we instead have an urgent request. We have a brother and sister in Christ who are in the most urgent need of our prayers.
Our brother and sister, who shall remain nameless (although it seems unlikely we could put them in more grave circumstances than currently exist), are in prison in Iran. They are recently married to each other. He is 23 and she is 17.
Through reading the Scriptures, Bible Basics and conversations with brethren both in and out of Iran, these two converted from Islam to belief in Jesus Christ. This is a capital offense in Iran. She was to be wed to a Muslim man through an arranged marriage but ran away to escape this fate. Through the help of several brethren, this young man and woman recently escaped from Iran to Turkey. In the past few weeks, however, they were captured in Turkey and deported back to Iran. As the United Nations is keen to use local people to handle such matters, the UN local officials would not intervene as they are also Muslim.
Once captured on a capital offense in Iran such as conversion to Christianity, it is customary to torture the individuals so that they revealed other Christians and the source of their conversion. Once this information is obtained, they are hanged. Prior to hanging, they are given one last chance to recant. If they recant, they are freed. If they do not, they are hung. Another facet of this process, is that Islamic law prohibits the execution of virgins. Just to make sure they are not breaking the law, female prisoners are raped before execution.
We received word this Sunday morning that this young couple was asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Rather than betray the name of Jesus Christ, both have entered a plea of guilty. This act seals their fate. It is only a matter of time before they are executed.
This is where you come in. We need your prayers. If you believe that our God is a God who performs miracles such as the delivery of Daniel from the lion’s den, pray that God will deliver this young couple from the hands of their captors. Pray that somehow they will remain faithful. Send this to others who you know will pray for our brethren’s release. Our God is a mighty God. If He wills that these brethren are released unharmed, it will happen.
What a strong exhortation it is for us to stand fast in the faith when we see such young people have such a firm devotion to Christ to the point of being willing to die. Pray that like Abraham with his attempt to sacrifice Isaac, a “ram” might be found, averting the death of those God loves.
Thank you for your prayers!
Kyle
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