March 9, 2026
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14
The Iranian church is the fastest growing church in the world. On February 15th, I was asked by a group of ministry leaders to write a letter to the Iranian church with the assurance that it would be delivered through their extensive networks. After prayer and fasting, I felt led to write the letter that included a prayer. I submitted it on February 16th, very compelled that time was of the essence to get it out immediately. And then the satellites shut down all communication. With God’s help it has filtered into the hands of Iranian house churches, with reports coming back that it is being memorized and passed from person to person.
After rewatching the video conversation with Henri Aoun and listening to his challenge to pray for the Muslim world, I felt it was time to post the letter in order to encourage all of us to pray for the Jesus followers in Iran who are living during a time of enormous danger and uncertainty.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ANNE READ THE LETTER
The letter is as follows…
To God’s elect, scattered throughout Iran, who are beloved by God the Father, saved through faith in His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Grace and peace to you in abundance.1
You, the Iranian Church in 2026, are in the hearts of God’s people all over the world. We know you are suffering in all kinds of trials. The cries of your hearts have echoed in ours as we claim these promises from God’s Word for you: …He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in His sight.2 We know you have lost friends, family members, and neighbors in recent days. Heaven is keenly aware of their deaths as we cry out on your behalf.
As our cries reach Heaven’s throne, the following words of Jesus come to mind: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.3 Jesus is coming! He has opened Heaven for you! Your future is secure! And until the day you see His face, as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is with you! He is for you! And in the end, He will bring you through to dwell in His heavenly Home forever! 4
This is His promise: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.5
This is a testing time for you…and a trusting time. His Word tells us that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,6 as you grow spiritually into the fullness of the character of Jesus Christ.7
Why were you born in this generation? Why specifically were you placed in Iran? Could it be that you are there for such a time as this? Does God want to use you to proclaim the good news that He loves Iranians, and that He offers them a personal relationship with Himself through faith in His only Son, Jesus Christ? Would you tell them:
They can be saved! Saved from God’s judgement to be born again into God’s family! Could it be that the troubles you are experiencing are the means God will use to ignite revival fire through your witness in Iran? Let it be so!
Therefore, we urge you to not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere…For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But you are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.9
For this reason, we bow our knees in prayer on your behalf…
God in Heaven. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the Eternal I AM. The One who is age to age the same. There is no shadow of turning with You. You are fully present in every generation—past, present, and future. National boundaries are no hindrance to You. They cannot bind You in nor keep You out. You go where You choose. You stride the winds of the earth. The clouds are the dust of Your feet. You are the All-Mighty. Your power has not been deleted or depleted over the millennia of human history. We know that You so loved the world that You gave us Heaven’s treasure when You sent Your only Son to die, so that anyone and everyone who places their faith in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.10
In this present worldwide climate of unbridled evil, we are desperate! Nations are unraveling. Wars are raging. There are rumors of more wars breaking out. Kingdom is rising against kingdom. The innocent are dying. Our lives are at risk. Our young are losing hope. Our spirits feel the turmoil and agitation that surely is a reflection of the warfare being waged in the invisible realms. We need You! For everything!
We look to You. You alone are the One who makes us to dwell in safety. You alone are the One who makes us secure. You alone are God. And You alone are our God. We turn to You, boldly confident of access into Your most holy presence through the blood of Your Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.11 You alone are The LORD. No one is higher than You. No one is greater than You. Again and again, You have been the salvation of Your people. You alone are able to shatter our enemies. In the greatness of Your majestic power, You overthrow those who come against You. We now call on You to rise up and be all that You are to Your followers in Iran.
We acknowledge that You are big enough to save each one, yet You are small enough to live in our hearts and manage the details of our lives. You are our hiding place. You are our refuge and our fortress. Your faithfulness is our shield. Your love is our comfort and our security. Your promises are our hope.
We praise You as One who has made Himself available night and day. You are attentive to the cries of Your children…right now! So, dear God, we humbly, boldly cry out to You on behalf of the Iranian Church. We pray that you would strengthen Your people with all power according to Your glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience…You have rescued them from the dominion of darkness and brought them into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom they have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. 12
You are a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering, miracle-working, covenant-keeping God. Our eyes are on You. We run to You. We cling to You. We humbly ask You to defend, guard, protect, keep, comfort and bless the Iranian Church. Heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.13 And during these days of oppression and persecution, we boldly ask that You would multiply the church. Pour out Your Spirit in revival power! Give your people boldness to share with others the hope that is within them…hope that is found in a personal relationship with You through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let Your followers be ashamed to testify about You because they know whom they have believed, and are convinced that He is able to guard what they have entrusted to Him for that day.14
For the glory of Your great name…Jesus,
Amen
Please be assured, dear Iranian brothers and sisters, that we will continue to carry you in our hearts and on our knees until God answers our prayers.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages, now and forevermore!15
May the love of God the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all.16
1 1 Peter1:1-2
2 Psalm 72:12-14
3 John 14:1-3
4 Psalm 23:4, 6
5 Isaiah 41:10
6 James 5:3-4
7 Ephesians 4:13
8 Romans 3:23, 6:23, Acts 3:19, I John 1:9, 10:8-10, John 1:12, Revelation 3:20
9 Hebrews 10:35-39
10 John 3:16
11 Hebrews 10:19
12 Colossians 1:11, 13
13 Psalm 147:3
14 2 Timothy 1:8, 12
15 Jude 24-25
16 2 Corinthians 13:14
…With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying… Ephesians 6:18
As I look ahead into the new year and beyond, I wonder…is this the year of His return? In the next ten years, will the world experience the rapture of the church? The seven years of tribulation? The glorious return of Jesus? And the beginning of His millennial kingdom on earth? Everything seems to point to the reality of this possibility.
While we may not know what the new year holds, we are confident of Who holds it. So today, it seems very fitting to pray for the future.
Join me as we pray together**…
Lord of eternity,
You are the great I Am…the same yesterday, today, and forever.
As we embark on the new year, our apprehension is overcome by our expectation. Could it be that we are truly approaching the end of human history as we have known it? In the next ten years will we experience the beginning of Your Kingdom on earth? Are we soon to hear the trumpet blow, and the loud voice of the archangel calling us Home? The intense yearning in our hearts cries, “Yes. Please. Let it be so.”
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You rule over the nations. You are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. While no one can understand Your ways, we are confident that You have a plan and are working it out for our good and Your glory.[1]
Yet we honestly confess: when Christ-followers are persecuted to the death; when gunmen open fire in churches; when religious leaders are not safe in their own homes; when floods, tornadoes, and storms ravage our land; when derogatory expletives and vicious name calling replace respectful debate and dialogue; when our political leaders put their own interests before the people’s; when our business leaders lie; when our spiritual leaders contradict Your Word; when our social leaders divide; when our allies become our enemies and our enemies become our allies…what’s going on? Where are You?
We are tempted to think You are…
Distracted…disengaged…disinterested,
Inattentive…inactive…impotent,
Out-maneuvered…out-moded…out-classed,
Unable…unaffected…
or even unaware of our fear… our helplessness…our confusion…our outrage. Why do You seem so small while our problems, disasters, and enemies seem so large? Help us to regain our focus.
God of our fathers. Lord of the nations. You are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. No one can understand Your ways. We turn to You. We return to You. Now. “Are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You.”[2]
Did You not establish us as one nation under God? Have we not pledged, “In God We Trust”? But now we find ourselves constantly bombarded with the shrill voices of those who demand we distance ourselves from You; that You are just one of many gods, if you are a god at all; that we cannot risk offending each other by calling on Your name. We hear the enemy insinuating that You are “not fixing this” because You can’t fix this. Our faith is being assaulted.
Our spirits rise up within us and seek to throw off the smothering cloak of spiritual oppression and political correctness. We shout Your Name. You are Yahweh. Jehovah–the personal God. The great I AM–the eternal God. The All-mighty–the Powerful God. You are Jesus. Savior. Immanuel. God with us, never to leave or forsake us. Your power has not been diluted or depleted over the ages. You are just as powerful…just as much in authority…as You were in Creation; in the deliverance of Your people from Egypt and in the parting of the Red Sea. You are the One who sends down the fire.[3] Who fells the giants.[4] Who makes wars to cease.[5] Who raises the dead![6]
As we look ahead into the New Year and even further ahead, we choose to place our trust in You. If “…the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord,”[7] we trust in You. If “…the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging,”[8]we trust in You. Though …”nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall…,”[9] we in trust You. When …”the wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright…,[10]” we trust in You. We trust You. We trust You!
Now arise, O Lord God. Look on us, Your people who are called by Your name. Listen to us, as we cry out for the New Year. Do not reject us. Have pity on us.
We feel the encroaching evil. “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples…”[13] Darkness and gloom are descending. Those who hate us are infiltrating us. Those who are dedicated to destroying us are all around us. Are You at the head of this army? Is this the beginning of the Day of the Lord? Have we tried Your patience and crossed the line into Your judgment? Are You holding us accountable for our sin and rebellion and defiance, for our profanity and blasphemy and idolatry? “You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before You when You are angry?”[14] Are You?
Light of the world. “Arise, shine” Your light into the darkness of our own hearts.[15] Most Holy God. You are righteous. You always do the right thing. We have done wrong. Your light reveals we are covered with shame because we know better. We have had generations of blessing and prosperity, yet we have refused to thank You and instead give ourselves credit for what has come from Your hand. We have agreed with those who contradict Your Word. We have turned away from Your truth and believed lies. We have treated life casually. We have destroyed our environment selfishly. We have passed by the needy uncaringly. We have demanded entitlements defiantly. We have not listened to those who have warned us of the consequences of drifting from You. Because we don’t know You, we don’t know ourselves, and wallow in the uncertain twilight of gender non-binary confusion.
And now, as we look into the New Year, we come face to face with a mess. What can be done to save us from ourselves? Even as the question reverberates in our minds, the answer is given: the solution to our spiritual and moral meltdown—to the restoration of the crumbling foundation of our nation—is not politics, nor the economy, nor health care, nor welfare or immigration reforms, nor free higher education, nor the court system, nor corporate or Wall Street regulation. You are the Answer. You are the Solution. Yet instead of turning to You, we seem to be turning farther and farther away from You. But not now. Now we turn back. We turn around. We re-turn to You. We run to You. We cling to You. We plead with You…
Turn to us! Draw near to us![16] If You do not help us, we will be defenseless. If You do not protect us, we will be exposed to danger. If You do not deliver us from evil, we will be overcome by it. If You do not have plans to give us hope and a future, we will slide into the past tense as a nation.[17] Into oblivion.
Father of all mercies. We believe that this is a year that You care for; that Your eyes are continually on it from the beginning to its end.[18] As You look on 2026 from January 1st to December 31st, we ask for what we know we don’t deserve. We ask for Your blessing. Please…
And now, God of grace, as we pray for the New Year, we ask bottom-line that You send down Your Holy Spirit in fullness. Ignite the fire of revival in our own hearts. Protect us. Defend us. Comfort us. Empower us. Equip us as we put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the devil’s schemes…so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground…taking up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God…and pray. With this in mind, we remain self-controlled and alert while we keep on praying until we prevail in prayer.[30] And we keep on watching expectantly. Is this the decade of Your return? We fervently hope so! Even so, come Lord Jesus…[31]
For the glory of Your great name…Jesus,
Amen
[1] Romans 8:28
[2] 2 Chronicles 20:6
[3] 2 Chronicles 7:1
[4] 1 Samuel 17:1-50
[5] Psalm 46:9
[6] 2 Kings 4:1-37; Luke 7:11-16; 8:40-42, 49-56; Ephesians 1:17-21
[7] Psalm 2:2
[8] Psalm 46:2-3
[9] Psalm 46:6
[10] Psalm 37:14
[11] Nahum 1:3
[12] 2 Chronicles 6:18
[13] Isaiah 60:2
[14] Psalm 76:7
[15] Isaiah 60:1
[16] James 4:8
[17] Jeremiah 29:11-13
[18] Deuteronomy 11:11
[19] 2 Chronicles 15:1-17
[20] 2 Chronicles 19:4-20:32
[21] 2 Chronicles 34:1-33
[22] 2 Chronicles 19:8-11
[23] Ezra 7:10
[24] 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:1-2
[25] 2 Chronicles 20:12
[26] 2 Timothy 2:21
[27] John 9:4
[28] Ephesians 6:19
[29] Ephesians 3:14-19
[30] Ephesians 6;10-18; 1 Peter 4:7
[31] Revelation 22:20
**This prayer has been adapted from one released January 1, 2016.
October 3, 2024
In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them…Isaiah 63:9
My heart is broken. My tears unending. My mind reeling from the images coming out of Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The destruction is beyond belief!
So many of you have written, texted, emailed and called to express your heartfelt concern and prayers. Thank you!
Invariably I’m being asked, “How is your family?” “How is your father’s house?” Everyone of my family who live in the area have been accounted for. My father’s house, as I understand, is intact, although the road to it is impassable.
The town of Montreat where I grew up, and which I still consider “home,” has no power, food, water, or internet. The roads are washed away. People cannot get in or out. The town where my sister lives, Black Mountain, is underwater. In pictures, I can just see the top of the train station roof above the flood waters…the same train station where we used to meet Daddy when he came home from his trips. The town where I went to high school, Swannanoa, has virtually been erased. Eradicated. It is no more. The village of Biltmore where my mother loved to go for lunch, and where I still take my daughters and granddaughters, has been virtually destroyed by flood waters that went as high as fifteen to 20 feet. Boone, where my brother lives, has been underwater also, with no food, water, power or cell service. And those are only the places I am familiar with. I can’t imagine people in Georgia, Tennessee, and the mountain coves where people are tucked away and may not be located for a long time. Everyone cut off without power, cell service, food, drinkable water, medicines, baby formula, and the list goes on. God have mercy on us! While FEMA and the government have been absent, my brother’s organization, Samaritan’s Purse, has an army of volunteers on the ground, as well as helicopters in the air. I encourage you to volunteer or donate to Samaritan’s Purse and designate it for Western North Carolina.
Psalm 29:10 has been emblazoned on my mind. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. I know He is in charge. He is in control. He could have contained this flood. If He is Lord over it, why didn’t He? This is one of those times when I simply bow to His sovereignty and trust Him when I have no answers to “why.” But I cling to what His word says: Many waters cannot quench love, nor can floods drown it.[1] I know God loves the people of Western North Carolina. I am one of them. So I claim His promise in Psalm 29:11: The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
It’s time to pray…
Sovereign Lord,
Words fail me. What can I say? How can I pray? Nothing like this has ever happened to the place and the people that I love. My people. Like Isaiah when King Uzziah died, help me to look up. To see You on the throne.[2] I know You are righteous in everything You do.[3] You don’t make mistakes. Your purpose is perfect. Your love unfailing. You are faithful to every generation. Please! Strengthen Your people. Give them peace in the midst of the mud, destruction and death. Bring them help to cut down fallen trees, rebuild bridges, restore power and cell service, connect people with their loved ones. Energize churches and Your people outside the area to gather and distribute critical relief supplies. Give the volunteers multiple opportunities to have Gospel conversations with those they help. Comfort those who are not only coping with the physical destruction, but who are grieving over family members or friends who have been lost or can’t be found.
God of Mercy, cause the people struggling with the aftermath of Helene to look up. To turn to You. Please. Could this be one reason You have allowed such devastation? Use it to get people’s attention, draw them to Yourself, then show up in power to strengthen, encourage, and help them overcome the massive challenges they face. You have promised that when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You will be with us.[4] We claim the gentleness and quietness of Your presence, like the mist in the valleys, to settle on Western North Carolina, bringing life, healing, and hope.
PS Please, dear God, we know You can multi-task. So while you are at work in Western North Carolina, we praise you for giving supernatural, miraculous protection to Israel during the missile barrage from Iran. We know You used the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow air defense systems, but only You could possibly have made the systems 100% effective. Thank You! Now we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Great Lion of Judah, defend and protect the land and the people upon whom You have placed Your name. Use the enemy attacks to turn the hearts of Your people to You. Open their eyes to see Yeshua as Your Son and their Messiah.
We ask this humbly and boldly in His name,
Amen
[1] Song of Solomon 8:7
[2] Isaiah 6:1
[3] Daniel 9:14
[4] Psalm 23:4
