By: Erlinda Mejia-Olson
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.“
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.“ ~Matthew 5:10-12There wasn’t a dry eye when Naghmeh Abedini shared her story during the recently concluded, True Women ’14 Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the wife of a Christian American Pastor Saeed Abedini—who is currently imprisoned in one of Iran’s toughest prisons since 2012 because of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I didn’t mean to sound melodramatic, but I couldn’t keep a dry eye myself as I was reading the testimony of faith of Pastor Saeed and Naghmeh Abedini, and the letter, Pastor Saeed Abedini wrote for their daughter, Rebekka Grace’s 8th birthday on September 12th, 2014. Pastor Saeed’s faith in Christ in facing his present predicament in prison is so great that it enables him to endure constant torture, beatings, or even death. It made my own trials and testings in life looked like a grain of sand.
With good intentions at heart, I am sure Pastor Saeed longs to be home with his wife and two children back in the USA. The words he wrote to his daughter didn’t simply mean for us to feel sorry for him and pray for his release. His testimony has become a blessing and encouragement to me as I seek and serve the Lord Jesus Christ to all people, at all places and time … in all seasons of life.
If you want to know more about Pastor Saeed and help, here is the link. Here is Pastor Saeed's Letter to Rebekka Grace:
My Dearest Rebekka Grace,
HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY!
You are growing so fast and becoming more beautiful every day. I praise God for His faithfulness to me every day as I watch from a distance through the prison walls and see pictures and hear stories of how you are growing both spiritually and physically.
Oh how I long to see you.
I know that you question why you have prayed so many times for my return and yet I am not home yet. Now there is a big WHY. In your mind you are asking: WHY Jesus isn’t answering your prayers and the prayers of all the people around the world praying for my release and for me to be home with you and our family.
The answer to the WHY is WHO. WHO is in control? The LORD JESUS CHRIST is in control.
I desire for you to learn important lessons during these trying times. Lessons that you carry now and for the rest of your life. The answer to the WHY IS WHO. The confusion of “WHY has all of this happened?” and “WHY your prayers are not answered yet” is resolved with understanding WHO is in control...the LORD JESUS CHRIST, our GOD!
God is in control of the whole world and everything that is happening in it is for His good purpose, for His glory, and will be worked out for our good (Romans 8:28). Jesus allows me to be kept here for His glory. He is doing something inside each of us and also outside in the world. People die and suffer for their Christian faith all over the world and some may wonder why? But you should know the answer of WHY is WHO. It is for Jesus. He is worth the price. And He has a plan to be glorified through our lives.
I want you to read the book of Habakkuk. He had the same question as you. But see that the Lord answered him in Habakkuk 2:3, “the vision comes and doesn’t delay on time, wait for it.” Mommy and I always had big desires to serve Jesus and had great vision to be used for His Kingdom and for His Glory. So today we pay a cost because God, who created us, called us to that.
And so I want you to know that the answer to all of your prayers is that God is in control, and He knows better than us what He is doing in our lives and all around the world.
Therefore declare as Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshack, and Abed-Nego did in Daniel 3:17–18!
“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
And learn and declare as Habakkuk did that even if we do not get the result that we are looking for, God is still good and we WILL praise His Holy Name.
Habakkuk 3:17–19:Then my dear beloved daughter Rebekka Grace, I pray God will bring me back home soon. But if not, we will still sing together as Habakkuk did HALLELUJAH, either separated by prison walls or together at home.
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”
So, let Daddy hear you sing a loud Hallelujah that I can hear all the way here in the prison!
I am so proud of you my sweet courageous daughter.
Glory to God forever, Amen.
Kisses and Blessings,
Daddy
Friend, are you always wrestling with WHYs in your own life? The answer to the WHY is WHO. We know that our world is falling apart. Our human mind is limited. Until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back again, there will always be trials and testings wherever you go, whoever you are. Even in our solitude our burdens keep echoing in the corner of our hearts and minds. You are exhausted! You want to run away! You want to hide! But you cannot! The WHYs are piling up like a mountain you cannot climb. But when we rest our mind on WHO is in control, the WHYs become unruffled, unflustered, at ease.
The answer to the WHY is WHO.
GOD is the WHO. He is in control. He always was. He will always be.
The answer to ALL our WHYs is the LORD Jesus Christ, our GOD and our Redeemer!
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)___________________________________
References: True Woman, Revive Our Hearts, BE HEARD Project/Saeed
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