Only prayer: surviving prison in Iran
When an Iranian couple were interrogated and abused, they depended on prayer. Your support sustained them through years of persecution – and today their faith is as strong as ever.
Ali was freed from drug addiction the day he chose to follow Jesus. When his wife Zahra came to faith too, they knew the decision would change their lives forever. After all, the couple lived in Iran, where converts to Christianity are among the world’s most persecuted believers.
It wasn’t long before Ali and Zahra were arrested for the first time. “On the way to prison, I deleted numbers from my phone to keep other believers safe,” said Ali. “I was taken to a cell with no lights, toilet or blanket. They interrogated and beat me. They wanted to infiltrate the church.”
The couple were released – but two years of persecution, harassment, and violence followed. “Each day was suffering and torture,” said Ali. No one would employ Ali, the children were banned from school, friends and family turned against them. They could be arrested and questioned at any moment.
One thing made a difference to Ali and Zahra: your prayers. Knowing the global church was standing with them in prayer meant everything – and God answered in powerful ways. “In solitary confinement in prison, the only thing that strengthened us was prayer,” said Ali. “Nothing else. Only God can go into those dark places. We are part of the body of Christ, no matter where we are.”
Zahra added, “While in prison, I thought to myself: there are people who love me and cry for my pain and, most importantly, pray for me. Without God’s power, I could not have tolerated prison.”
“If I went back, would I still choose Jesus? Yes!”.
The couple made the hard decision to leave Iran, and now live in Turkey. Here, your generous support helped the whole family. They attended a seminar to begin healing the deep wounds of persecution, and recover from the trauma of imprisonment and interrogation. The support and prayers of their worldwide family helped this couple know they are not alone.
Today, thanks to you, their faith is as strong as ever. “If I went back, would I still choose Jesus?” said Ali. “Yes! Through all these sufferings, Christ never left me alone. I cannot live without him, there is no other way around it.”
The couple, with children Daniel and Samuel, now live safely in Turkey.
Lift up Ali and Zahra, and their two children Daniel and Samuel, before God. Give thanks for their steadfast faith, and ask God to heal their trauma and fill them with hope for the future. Pray too for the church in Iran, courageously persevering despite intense opposition
One With Them
On June 26, 2022, join believers across Canada for a day of prayer for Christian captives in places where faith costs the most. Across the world many of our brothers and sisters are being imprisoned or held captive for their faith in Jesus.
According to the Open Doors 2022 World Watch List research, last year 6,175 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned because of their faith. Another 3,829 Christians were abducted. And these are just the cases we know about. The One With Them Campaign from Open Doors Canada encourages us to pause, remember and pray for our brothers and sisters who are in captivity because they choose to follow Jesus. Join us, and add your voice to thousands of Canadians marking One With Them: A day for Christian captives. Learn more about how you can get involved on our website here. The link to the youtube live stream is here.
