This Is Real Life: A Pastor's Prayer for Said Musa
Said Musa is an Afghan father of six, a Red Cross worker, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Musa was imprisoned because of his conversion to Christianity. A judge recently warned Musa that he would be hanged within days if he does not recant his Christian faith and reconvert to Islam. You can read one of the latest articles here.
What should we pray for Musa during this fiery trial? Two prayers have been on my heart since I woke up this morning. The first is that God would be pleased to release Musa from prison. God has done such things before — sometimes through earthquakes and angels (Acts 5:19; 16:26), other times through rulers reversing their decisions (Acts 5:35-40), and at all times through prayer. ”I know that through your prayers,” wrote the apostle Paul during his first Roman imprisonment, “…this will turn out for my deliverance” (Phil 1:19).
Heavenly Father, if it would bring you the most glory, please release Musa from prison.
It may not be the Lord’s will that Musa be released. The number of martyrs is not yet complete (Rev 6:11), and Musa may soon join the white-robed company in heaven. The cup of suffering isn’t always taken from our hands, as our Lord himself would remind us (Luke 22:42). So my second prayer is that God will strengthen Said Musa unto death. I once read of a Christian on his way to be executed whose believing wife and son cheered him on until the end. We must do no less for Musa through our prayers.
Oh, good and wise Father, please strengthen Said Musa:
- to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith, knowing that the noose around his neck will be displaced by a crown upon his head (2 Tim 4:6-8);
- to rejoice as did the apostles that he has been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (Acts 5:41);
- to have confidence that even if he is killed not a hair of his head will perish (Luke 21:16-18);
- to not be afraid of those who can only kill the body (Matt 10:28);
- to face his persecutors with the certain hope of a better resurrection (Heb 11:35);
- to feel at peace in the hands of him who who judges justly (1 Pet 2:23);
- to draw his last breath believing that death is gain (Phil 1:21);
- to endure to the end (Matt 24:13).
My fellow Christians, will you pray? May the Lord work his will in Said Musa, in the comfort of Musa’s family, and in the spread of the gospel among the Afghans and around the world.
