Not long ago, I had a surreal phone call with two young Christian men serving prison sentences in one of Iran’s hardest prisons. They’re there because they refuse to stop preaching about Jesus.
When I asked how I could pray for them, their answer wasn’t what you might expect.
“Pray that we would not be released until our job here is finished,” they said. They had led numerous fellow prisoners to faith. Now, their chief concern was to remain inside long enough to disciple them.
The call took me straight back to the five years I spent in prison for my faith. Now, these dear brothers (let’s call them Vahid and Reza) were behind bars, and I was outside. As we spoke, I pictured the wards and corridors, imagined the sounds and smells, and remembered how hard it was not to know how many years I would be there.
But it was also an encouraging call. Vahid and Reza were in high spirits, talking about Bible passages that were sustaining them and how the Lord was at work. They didn’t see themselves in a miserable, dark place. They saw themselves in a different mission field.
Their focus was the same as Paul’s in Colossians 4:3: “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.” Paul’s request wasn’t for an open prison door but for an open door for the gospel.
Pray for Gospel Fruit
Vahid and Reza’s request resonated with me. I remember being unable to pray for my own release. I tried on a few occasions, but I couldn’t open my mouth to ask the Lord to release me. If I’m following Christ, I cannot choose the path. I cannot choose the location. I should follow him wherever he goes. And as I followed him to prison, he brought beautiful fruit.
They didn’t see themselves in a miserable, dark place. They saw themselves in a different mission field.
I think of one prisoner, a devout Muslim, who was wrongly accused of spying for Iran’s enemies. He was praying he would be released and was frustrated to get no answer. He approached me one day, saying, “Farshid, our God is dead. But I’ve heard yours is alive. Will you pray for me?” Fearing it might be a trap, I took him quietly aside and prayed briefly in the name of Jesus: “Lord, you know this man. Please hear his prayer.” The very next day, the man rushed over excitedly and gave me a huge hug. That morning, he had learned his name had been cleared. He was released two weeks later. Our God is indeed alive.
The Lord was also at work softening my parents’ hearts toward Christ during those years. I always say that even if only for the salvation of my parents, my time in prison was worth it. So, when you pray for persecuted believers, pray not only for what God might do for them but—as Vahid and Reza requested—for what God might do through them, for his glory. Pray for gospel fruit.
Pray for Comfort and Endurance
I don’t want to make prison sound easier than it was. The suffering was real. So pray also for comfort and endurance.
They beat me; they broke my toe. But the prolonged separation from my two children was the hardest burden to bear. The day I went to prison, my son was 2 years old and my daughter was 7. Missing their childhoods was an unspeakable loss.
Yet I know others who have suffered much more than I did. I think of a brother currently in prison who has been tortured. I think of a sister who was sexually assaulted when she was arrested. Even the apostle Paul was at times “so utterly burdened beyond [his] strength that [he] despaired of life itself.” And his request to the church was simple: “You also must help us by prayer” (2 Cor. 1:8, 11). Brothers and sisters like these need us to pray for them with love.
Whatever the situation, we can pray that God would grant the suffering believer comfort, peace, and endurance. The more specific the prayers, the better. While in prison, I received letters from people around the world who were praying for me. One wrote, “I am praying for your sleep. May the Lord give you peace to sleep well in prison.” I really loved it. And honestly, I did sleep well in prison; many inmates suffered from nightmares, but I cannot remember having a single one. I believe God answered that man’s prayers.
Your Prayers Reach Through Prison Walls
Prayer is especially needed when a prisoner is in solitary confinement. I spent 361 days in a solitary cell: For a year, I couldn’t see the sun in the sky. Yet prayers reached me through the prison walls.
I remember one day I was in cell 73. I was sitting; I wasn’t praying. Suddenly, I was able to hear, let me say, a heavenly melody in my soul—not in my ears but in my soul. And I stood up. In that moment, I was overwhelmed by joy and peace. I started dancing. The cell was only two meters by two meters, but I danced before the Lord!
The guard opened the door to see what I was doing. I turned to him with a wide smile and said, “Hey, sir, how are you today?” He looked at me with big eyes. “Wow, it seems you are better than me,” he said. And then he shut the door.
For a year, I couldn’t see the sun in the sky. Yet prayers reached me through the prison walls.
I believe someone, or maybe a group of people, was praying for me at that time. That’s why I had the experience of hearing that melody in my soul, and I was overwhelmed by joy, even though I was in solitary confinement.
Many brothers and sisters around the world prayed for me during my imprisonment. Perhaps you were one of them. I cannot find the words to say thank you.
Now, I want to ask, Will you pray for those in prison right now for their faith? Scripture tells us to “remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them” (Heb. 13:3). I believe your prayer goes through the prison walls. It can touch the prisoners, encourage them, and give them joy while they’re suffering, because it’s possible to have joy and suffering at the same time.
Vahid and Reza are just two of the Christians in Iran’s prisons today. There are so many. Maybe you’re asking, Where do I start? Elam’s free Bound Together resources can help your church or small group pray on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 1.
We pray because our God is faithful to his children. He is faithful right now to Vahid and Reza and to all our brothers and sisters in prison. And he was faithful to me. When I came out of prison, people would say to me, “Praise God, Farshid, you were faithful to the Lord. You stood for the Lord.”
I always try to correct them. That’s not true. He was faithful to me. He stood for me.
The Gospel Coalition