How to Pray for Iran

Iran is a Middle Eastern country in Central Asia. It is one of the biggest Islamic countries in the world, with a 97.8% Muslim population.¹ The official language of Iran is Farsi, and they are following the strict Islamic sharia law. Converting from Islam to Christianity or speaking publicly about Christianity is illegal. Muslims who convert to Christianity are only able to gather in secret house churches. They face a serious risk of being watched, harassed, detained, and charged with "crimes against national security," a vague and ill-defined yet commonly misused charge against believers, and by law their lives are considered filthy by everyone.²

Women face even greater risks if they convert to Christianity because they have no rights according to the law if they become believers their families and the government can do anything to them. The interesting thing is that women know that they could face torture even death if someone discovered that they believe in Jesus, but right now they’re leading the underground church in Iran to grow.³

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad”
- Matthew 5:11-12a

Why do we pray for the nations?

CHECK IT OUT 👀

Prayers are so important and praying for Iranians can actually change their situation.

Are you ready to make a change in Iran? Let’s pray!

1. The Underground Church

If the government finds any underground churches, all the members will face a death sentence.

Pray that the congregations will be protected, and they will be able to have fellowship together and encourage each other to grow in their relationship with God. Also, pray for Christian Farsi materials to reach them so they can know more about Jesus.

2. Access to Farsi Bibles

Having a Bible in Iran is illegal, but people still take the risk and smuggle Bibles into the country.

Pray for protection over those people who own or try to own a Bible in Iran, and for more Bibles to reach the underground church.⁴

3. Women in Iran

Life is very difficult for women in Iran. All the laws are against them and there is a special “morality police” just to monitor women’s dress code. Women also have to be covered up and the hijab (headscarf) is mandatory. Last year many young women died because they weren’t wearing the hijab correctly.⁵

Pray that those laws will change, and women will have freedom and be treated equally.

4. The Iranian Government 

Pray that government officials will get to know Jesus, and instead of following Islamic law, they will get to know the Bible and its laws. Pray for a revival inside the government.

Discover more about Iran:

References:

¹ Joshua Project. (n.d). Country: Iran. Retrieved from https://joshuaproject.net/countries/IR

² Open Doors UK. (n.d). Iran, Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide - Iran. Retrieved from https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/iran/ 

³ Catalytic Ministries. (2022). Morality Police & Persecution of the Underground Church in Iran: The Iran No One Wants to Talk About. https://catalyticministries.com/morality-police-underground-church 

⁴ The Voice of the Martyrs. (n.d). Praying for Persecuted Christians in Iran. Retrieved from https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/iran/?_source_code=WBPGGPG20B 

⁵ France24. (2023). Iran uses rape, torture to silence detained Mahsa Amini protesters, Amnesty says. Retrieved from https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20231206-rape-torture-used-to-silence-iran-s-mahsa-amini-protesters-amnesty-says 

⁶ Frontier Alliance International. (2019). Sheep Among Wolves: Chronicles of the Persecuted Church Vol. II. Retrieved from https://fai.online/sheep 

⁷ Stratus. (n.d). Country Explorer - Iran. Retrieved from https://globe.stratus.earth/en/country-explorer/IRN

Image Source: Evgeny Isaev. (April 2017). Street Photography in Tehran. https://www.flickr.com/photos/43257267@N08/34118230011