By Farshid Fathi, TGC. (Photo: Unsplash)
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.