A Prayer for Iran

I translated the prayer below from the original Persian, while exercising some lyrical liberties that enable it to work in English.

I have known and worked with many Iranians over the last 50 years, stretching to the time of the original Shah. All are or were Christians, save for one who is Zoroastrian. They are not Arab; they are Persians who were colonized by the Muslim Empire. Arabic is not their language.

Theirs was once a free, fun society that promoted intellectualism and curiosity. They have been brutally serviced by intolerant extremism for almost half a century. They are being brutalized further as they now fight, quite literally, for liberty.

Say a prayer for them, please. They are good people who deserve to be more than vassals to a political ideology.

Also, appreciate the photo below. It champions true feminism in a way not seen in our culture. It may help us to understand the kind of courage for which we are praying.

God of history, Lord of our passions, we pray for mercy for the innocent and those seized by fear. We pray especially for those most vulnerable to the exercise of rancid power.

We ask for protection over lives and communities, and for comfort for all victimized by malevolence.

We pray for peace, that this conflict will be short-lived and that its resolution not merely a pause in violence.

We also pray for the Church in Iran that has quietly grown in courage and love, that it may be salt and light to those disrupted, and guide all people to the love of Christ.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, bring peace.

Let Your kingdom come. Let Your will be done. Amen.

In Persian:

خدای تاریخ، پروردگار احساسات ما، ما برای بیگناهان و کسانی که ترس گرفتار شده اند دعای رحمت می کنیم. ما به ویژه برای کسانی که در برابر اعمال قدرت فاسد آسیب پذیر هستند دعا می کنیم.

ما خواستار حفاظت از زندگی و جوامع و آسایش برای همه قربانیان بدخواهی هستیم.

ما برای صلح دعا می کنیم که این درگیری کوتاه مدت باشد و حل آن صرفاً یک مکث در خشونت نباشد.

ما همچنین برای کلیسایی در ایران دعا می کنیم که بی سر و صدا در شجاعت و عشق رشد کرده است تا برای کسانی که در هم ریخته اند نمک و نور باشد و همه مردم را به عشق مسیح راهنمایی کند.

پروردگارا، رحم کن پروردگارا صلح بیاور

بگذار پادشاهی تو بیاید. بگذار اراده تو انجام شود. آمین

It is against the law for a woman to be in public on the streets of Tehran without being suitably covered. In fact, security forces beat a young woman to death for that infraction just a couple of years ago. Women are not permitted to smoke in public. It is a capital offence to burn a photo of the Ayatollah. Go get ‘em, sis.