Please Pray

So I've been wanting to blog about this for awhile now but haven't - mainly because it is such a huge issue and I'm afraid I won't do it justice. But rather than ignoring the issue, I think we can all do our part to raise awareness of what is going on in Iran. So forgive me if I left out important facts/details, and know that my desire is simply to spread the word and encourage.


Growing up in America, I must admit I know very little about most other countries. Sadly, like most Americans, what I've known about Iran is limited to what I've seen on the news, which admittedly is never very positive. If I were not married to an Iranian man, it would stop there. Thankfully, through he and his amazing family and friends, I have learned that Iran is so much more than what I knew. In fact, the depiction that we have here in America is so inaccurate. If you had asked me 8 years ago what Iran is like, I probably would say...desert, Muslim, terrorism, violence, oppression...I'm ashamed to say that, but it's solely because of my ignorance. I knew only what I saw on TV. Having been blessed like crazy by my amazing husband and his sweet family, I now know so much more...(and have plenty more to learn!!)

I know that Iran is a country just like any other, yet unique in it's own ways. It is a very beautiful place with a vast terrain. It has a culture and a history that is so rich and dates all the way back to biblical times with King Cyrus the Great, and before.

Please watch this video - it's awesome and depicts more of Iran than CNN can show

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=126629081448&ref=mf

(I couldn't save it to my computer to upload it here, so it has to be viewed through facebook. If anyone knows how I can embed this please let me know.)

It is a country that embodies my husband's heritage, and now, my daughter's as well. It is a place that one day, God willing, we can take our Ella to, and show her that, as much as America is her home, so is Iran. She will be a lucky girl...what a rich and diverse background she will have. How much more educated about the world she will be, so much more than her momma was - I'm so excited for her!

It is full of people that are just like you and I. But people who, right now, are desiring freedom and change so badly that they are willing to risk their lives for it. Something that, I admit, is hard for me to fathom. Would I do the same? If my government were oppressing and threatening me, would I have their bravery and courage? Would I be willing to stand up for freedom at all cost? Would you?

As I said before, my goal in this post was not to give all of the facts, because inevitably, I would leave so many out. I just wanted to remind everyone of our duty - to pray... relentlessly, without ceasing, and with great faith. God promises us that:

"Where two or more are gathered in My name, there I will be also."
Matthew 18:20.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,
'Move from here to there' and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

Scripture regarding oppression:

"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise," says the LORD.

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

-Psalm 12:5

"But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread;

so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites"

Exodus 1:12

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow"

Isaiah 1:17

“I will deal with all who oppressed you;

I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered.

I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.”

Zephaniah 3:19

I think that scripture makes it very clear that oppression is not pleasing to God, therefore, as Christians, we must pray diligently for this to end.

"The servants of the Most High, who would have Him honored

and His cause promoted by the extinction of 'oppression,'

must cry unto Him day and night, — must give Him no rest,

till He come and deliver the oppressed."

THINGS TO PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:
1. Removal of the oppressive Islamic regime
2. Safety of the people of Iran, those who live there and those traveling to/from there
3. Families in Iran who have lost loved ones
4. Iranians here, who are heartbroken watching their beloved die, who feel helpless beyond
imagine.
5. Awareness around the world of the brutality going on there
6. Radical change of heart of those behind all the violence
7. Intervention as appropriate

Just know this:
Our God is BIG...there is nothing He cannot do. To limit our prayers to small requests is simply a lack of faith. Pray big! Pray for a revolution in Iran. Pray for equality for men and women. Pray for freedom of religion...that people there might know Jesus and be able to worship in freedom without fear. Pray that Iran would be the country that it has the potential to be, that it used to be. Pray for people's image of Iran to be changed...that they would realize that the violence and corruptness seen in the government there is not representative of all of the people that live there. Pray that God would bring change, and truth. But most of all, whatever you pray for, pray hard, pray fervently, pray without ceasing, and pray IN FAITH, knowing that God hears. It's the least we can do, and yet, it's the most we can do.

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
-Psalm 9:9