Prayer Alert: Yousef Nadarkhani

I don't usually post things like this, but since hearing about this story yesterday, I have felt so burdened by this brother and fellow pastor. Please join me in prayer for him. Below is an excerpt explaining his situation:

Naderkhani, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

The judges, according to the American Center for Law & Justice, demanded that Nadarkhani recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Though the judgment runs against current Iranian and international laws and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that the court must uphold the decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Naderkhani said.

Yousef Nadarkhani is 34 years old, has a wife and two boys under the age of 10, and his only crime has been refusing to renounce Christianity for Islam. From the accounts I have read, his court appearances have been designed not to administer justice, but to pressure him to recant his faith. The most recent information I have read seems to indicate that his lawyer has been able to secure some confidence that the sentence will be overturned, but that even that "doesn't mean that Naderkhani will be set free without some additional punishment, potentially a long jail sentence or worse."

Please pray for Pastor Yousef, for his family, for his church and for all the believers in Iran. It is a very difficult place to be a Christian, and the government and legal system is heavily stacked against believers in Christ. Pray that Yousef will have confidence and strength through the working of the Holy Spirit, that he might continue to echo the words spoken by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3:

"If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Sources and More Information:
CNN
Independent Catholic News
Fox News
Washington Post