Unity in Prayer: The Church Gathers to Pray for Saeed and the Persecuted Church

On Friday, September 26th, 2014, Christians across the nation and all around the world gathered to pray for American Pastor Saeed Abedini and all others who are persecuted for their faith in God.

Prayer vigils, both large and small, were held in more than 600 locations and 39 countries around the world. People gathered in India, The Kingdom of Bahrain, Brazil, Liberia, Philippines, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, Botswana, the United Arab Emirates, and many more countries. Believers gathered to pray at state capitals, courthouses, churches, private homes, and even on street corners, drawing awareness to the grim reality that persecution is real. But in the face of such great darkness, these prayer vigils invited an even greater light.

One of Naghmeh Abedini’s hopes for this prayer vigil was that Saeed’s chains would “chain” members of the church together in unity. Without a doubt, this happened. In Liberia, the church was so committed to prayer it gathered despite knowing the real risk of Ebola. In the United States, people drove, sometimes for miles, to meet and pray with others who they had never met before. Churches gathered with neighboring churches. Clergy of varying demoninations worked together to lead communities in prayer.

In one small town, a vigil leader reported that people had set aside their differences for this prayer vigil and that relationships were restored as the church prayed together. Another leader said that he experienced “a night of complete unity among believers who typically do not worship together.”

Many vigil leaders read Saeed’s most recent letter from prison to the people who gathered to pray. In his letter, Saeed encourages his daughter Rebekka to trust God even though it doesn’t seem like He is answering her prayers. The letter’s reading encouraged many people, and the prayers flowed freely. One vigil leader wrote that she had been blessed “by seeing so many people leave with tear-stained faces, knowing that they had been pouring out their hearts before God on behalf of our persecuted brothers and sisters.”

Saeed’s chains have brought the church together and sparked new life in churches across the nation. As people put aside their differences to band together with one focus and one heart, it became clear that Saeed Abedini is not suffering alone.