We’ve been partnering with our friends Elam Ministries for a number of years, as they relentlessly and passionately serve Christians in Iran.

Their executive director David Yeghnazar shares this incredible update about their new prayer guide, Iran 30:

Despite Iran’s hard-line government, countless Iranian hearts are open to Jesus Christ.

This is an answer to years of faithful prayer.

In 1950s Iran, there were fewer than 500 Christians from a Muslim background. But the small church there was committed to prayer. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Christians faced severe persecution.

But they kept praying. And the church began to grow.

Today, research indicates that are more than 1 million Christians in Iran.

When Elam Ministries was founded, God gave us a vision for church growth, spreading from Iran all across the Middle East. Believing this would come through prayer, we launched our first Iran 30 prayer guide in 2009. Since then, hundreds of thousands around the world have been interceding.

I have no doubt that these prayers are one of the main reasons we have seen continued – indeed accelerated – growth in Iran’s church.

“They kept praying. and the church began to grow…”

We have seen remarkable answers to prayer, from new ways of getting the Bible into the country, to Islamic clerics coming to faith in Christ. And many who have endured persecution for their faith testify that they were strengthened through the prayers of the church.

Just recently, a trained evangelist in Iran undertook a prayer-walk around her city, asking God to show her someone she could bless. After three hours of prayer, she was able to counsel a family in distress. Two people came to faith as a result and she is now discipling these new believers.

We hear stories like this almost every day. And as we look back on all that God has done, it is clear that the power of prayer is behind it.

What is happening in Iran is one of the most exciting mission stories in the world today.

That’s why I’m so excited that we have just launched a new, digital Iran 30 prayer guide, so we can invite more people to play their part in this story.

Hundreds of thousands have prayed before. Now we hope millions will join in. As we get on our knees, we trust we will see God’s Kingdom expand even further.

Join in! The Iran 30 prayer guide is available for download at www.elam.com/iran30