O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign of Your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. (Verses 14-17)
Today Saeed Abedini sits in solitary confinement in an Iranian jail where he's been beaten for his faith in Jesus. Saeed is an American citizen who was involved in church building. Arrested in 2005, Saeed pledged he would not evangelize Iran again and was released. Last summer, Saeed left his wife and two children in Idaho to return to Iran and help build a state-run, secular orphanage. When authorities heard of his return, they yanked Saeed from a bus on which he was traveling and threw him, once again, into prison. He has been in prison for over two hundred days. Until recently, he's been held without any charges. In January Iran set his sentence at eight years. Though his family and a group of attorneys pressure the government for his release, things are getting much worse for this young man who is only thirty-seven years old.
In an effort to get Pastor Saeed to recant his faith, the prison has placed him in solitary confinement. He's already told relatives who were, until recently, allowed to visit him, that solitary is a horrific nightmare of beatings and soul-testing silence. His health is failing because the beatings have apparently left him with internal bleeding, especially from his kidneys. Of course, this treatment of the young Christian is in violation of international law, but it is Iran where he is imprisoned. They don't care.
I awoke this morning with a prayer for Saeed Abedini on my heart. Then I read this psalm. It is my prayer for him. Moved to care for his people in any way possible, Saeed was doing the things that are on God's heart--caring for widows and orphans. I am reading Nehemiah right now, and his story reminds me of the heart God gave to the cup bearer to Artaxerxes. As Nehemiah prayed for God's people from a place of relative ease--Susa, where the king vacationed--his heart broke and he knew he must go to Jerusalem and help them rebuild their lives. The effort was not without savage interference from Sanballat, Satan's pawn in the rebuilding process. There are times, though, when God calls us to go, and we must. Pastor Saeed went. And, for those of us who know Christ, we then went with him. Saeed is our brother. Straining against the beatings and blinded by the darkness, Saeed is losing strength. Visitors are no longer allowed so there is absolutely no accountability for the prison guards as they flay and brutalize him for his faith.
So let us pray, on our faces, with tears, for our brother! Show Saeed a sign of Your favor, O Lord, right now! In this moment give him supernatural grace and strength. Clear his mind. Bind his brokenness and visit him in jail in a miraculous and appropriate way. As You visited Paul. As you delivered Peter! O God, merciful and gracious, we pray as Nehemiah did: "Let You ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant!"
Today Saeed Abedini sits in solitary confinement in an Iranian jail where he's been beaten for his faith in Jesus. Saeed is an American citizen who was involved in church building. Arrested in 2005, Saeed pledged he would not evangelize Iran again and was released. Last summer, Saeed left his wife and two children in Idaho to return to Iran and help build a state-run, secular orphanage. When authorities heard of his return, they yanked Saeed from a bus on which he was traveling and threw him, once again, into prison. He has been in prison for over two hundred days. Until recently, he's been held without any charges. In January Iran set his sentence at eight years. Though his family and a group of attorneys pressure the government for his release, things are getting much worse for this young man who is only thirty-seven years old.
In an effort to get Pastor Saeed to recant his faith, the prison has placed him in solitary confinement. He's already told relatives who were, until recently, allowed to visit him, that solitary is a horrific nightmare of beatings and soul-testing silence. His health is failing because the beatings have apparently left him with internal bleeding, especially from his kidneys. Of course, this treatment of the young Christian is in violation of international law, but it is Iran where he is imprisoned. They don't care.
I awoke this morning with a prayer for Saeed Abedini on my heart. Then I read this psalm. It is my prayer for him. Moved to care for his people in any way possible, Saeed was doing the things that are on God's heart--caring for widows and orphans. I am reading Nehemiah right now, and his story reminds me of the heart God gave to the cup bearer to Artaxerxes. As Nehemiah prayed for God's people from a place of relative ease--Susa, where the king vacationed--his heart broke and he knew he must go to Jerusalem and help them rebuild their lives. The effort was not without savage interference from Sanballat, Satan's pawn in the rebuilding process. There are times, though, when God calls us to go, and we must. Pastor Saeed went. And, for those of us who know Christ, we then went with him. Saeed is our brother. Straining against the beatings and blinded by the darkness, Saeed is losing strength. Visitors are no longer allowed so there is absolutely no accountability for the prison guards as they flay and brutalize him for his faith.
So let us pray, on our faces, with tears, for our brother! Show Saeed a sign of Your favor, O Lord, right now! In this moment give him supernatural grace and strength. Clear his mind. Bind his brokenness and visit him in jail in a miraculous and appropriate way. As You visited Paul. As you delivered Peter! O God, merciful and gracious, we pray as Nehemiah did: "Let You ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant!"
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