Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkani To Be Executed & Slaughter in Syria

Please let's pray fervently for our brother, Youcef Nadarkani and ask God to intervene on his behalf and on behalf of Iranian Christians. He has been re-sentenced to death for leaving Islam and can be executed at any time. Scripture tells us to remember those who are in prison as if we ourselves were in prison.

O God our Father maker of heaven and earth, the one who holds all things in your hands, we ask that in the name of Jesus, you intervene on behalf of Pastor Nadakhani, his family, and the Iranian people. Save his life. Thank you for his faithfulness to you. He is an example to us. We can't imagine his suffering or the suffering of his family, but we pray that you'd give them peace and your church peace. May good overcome evil and may the Iranian church flourish. Jesus we ask this in your high and holy name. Amen.

If you haven't heard about him, you can find out more information here on CNN:

Pastor Nadarkhani

As Christians we cannot remain silent or prayer-inactive about what is happening in Syria. The Syrian government is slaughtering innocent people--mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, babies and grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. We need to cry out on their behalf too!

O Father, we feel helpless to do anything for the Syrian people. We have no worldly power. We cannot move the hearts of rulers. But you can. Jesus you are King of kings and Lord of lords. King Solomon says that the hearts of kings are like channels of water in your hands. Father, we pray that you'd intervene on behalf of the Syrian people. Their blood cries out from the land just as Abel's blood cried out when Cain slaughtered him. Father, there is much evil in the world, violence in the hearts of humankind. The insatiable desire for power and control leads to great evil. Jesus! May your kingdom come in Syria. May you move on behalf of the innocents. You alone can bring peace in the midst of human hate and evil. Jesus you are our only hope. We have and they have nothing without you. We ask this in your name. Amen.

See story from CNN here:
Why Isn't the World Intervening in Syria?

When It's Hard To Pray.

I will continue the story about my life very soon. But I thought it important to include this today instead. Below is a comment (with a little bit more editing on my part) that I made to Kate over at Between The Lines. She was discussing the place she finds herself in right now. It's a place where it is hard to pray. I am sure most of us have been in that situation. But then we must remember that praying is much more than we are often taught. 

Remember too that your soul groans and that you can pray through silence. Your wonder at God's earth, your thankfulness for friends, your service to them, your listening ear, your heart that leaps for joy at goodness and weeps over evil--it is a life of prayer. If prayer is a conversation then there are times when you will be listening. Maybe it's your turn to listen. I know I've been in that situation. The soul that loves God communes with him...it's sort of like being in a room with someone you love. You don't always have to speak...but there is a closeness.

Falling Apart

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba,[e] Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Mark 14:32-36

What do you do when you're falling apart? Unraveling at the seams? Don't we all have moments like this? Yes, we do. But some of us hide it better than others. When Jesus was falling apart, he took his disciples into the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He wanted and knew he needed the companionship of others as he began to taste the hell that he would go through. True enough, Peter, James, and John fell asleep. No, they couldn't do anything about what he was going through. They probably could've tried harder to stay awake. Yet even their sleeping presence provided some comfort.
 
Jesus fell apart. He didn't curse God, but his soul was "overwhelmed to the point of death." If we are feeling so overwhelmed, like we are traversing hell alone, we need to let others know. We are not meant to be alone in this. And if we know of someone that is going through a difficult time, it is imperative that we reach out to them. Even Jesus, God of very God, needed companions in his darkest time. These are the same disciples who were with him on the Mount of Transfiguration. They tasted a bit of his glory and of the hell he went through. Jesus had good friends.
 
If we don't have any let us pray for them and seek them out. Once I said to a lady I admired, "I really like you and respect you. Let's be friends." She agreed and is one of my best friends. It was a bold move, and vulnerable, but it was worth it. Sometimes we have to take steps like that. But if we have no one, let us try to find someone in the Church to talk to.
 
God's peace to you this day.