To Add to Your Prayer List

My last post about movies ended with an Iranian movie.  Iran makes me think of a man who really needs your prayers.  His name is Yousef Nadarkhani.  You may have seen his story on the news as the media has started to pick-up on it more recently.  Yousef is a husband, a father, a pastor and, most importantly, a follower of Christ.  His refusal to deny Christ as his Savior has led the Iranian courts to order that he be executed.  He could save his life by simply saying he doesn't follow Jesus.  But, He won't do that.

I can't help but to tear up when thinking about this man who is facing death, this family who is facing the loss of their husband & dad, and his church who are facing the loss of their pastor.  And I tear up even more when I think of this man who loves Our Lord more than any of that.  When we read the stories of Paul and Peter and other martyrs in the Bible, we don't think much about it happening today.  But, it does...much more than we ever hear about.  

To me, this is such a very real, literal, and present-day picture of what God calls us to do in Mark 8:34-38.  Oh, to deny myself so that I can have all that He wishes to bestow on me!  To lose MY life, so that I can live the life HE planned for me.  I pray to make that choice every minute of every day, no matter what earthly things it may cost me...He is more, He is better, He is all.

Please pray for Yousef.  Pray for the Iranian officials.  Pray for circumstances to change.  Pray for God to be glorified through Yousef's life and then through his death, whenever that may come.  I am thankful to know that God CAN work to soften the hearts of the Iranian officials so that they would overturn this.  (Heck, His powerful hand could even cause an earthquake to cause those prison doors to swing open).  But, I am also thankful that I know that God is sovereign and always loving and always working all things together for our good and according to His plans and purposes.  While it is my desire and the desire of many to see Yousef remain with his family on earth for much longer, I trust my God whose ways are always higher than mine.