Here today and gone tomorrow: news of protests in Iran didn’t last long on our headlines, even though they are still going on.

Since the uprisings started in late December, the Iranian regime has done its best to stop news getting out of the country. But stories have been trickling through of brave, unprecedented risk-taking amongst the Iranian people, standing up to their tyrannical rulers at great risk to themselves. Given that official statistics are purposefully deflated - 22 dead (ground reports say more than 50) and 1,000 arrests (ground reports say as many as 8,000) – you can bet your socks that the official estimate of 42,000 participants is also a fraction of the true number.

This week I’ve been trying to piece these stories together and build up a better picture of what’s been going on. My immediate ports of call were news outlets in both the West and the Middle East. But quite by ‘chance’, my focus was redirected – thanks to a wonderful commentary from one Pastor JD Farag from Hawaii. He picked up on a point that has – as far as I can tell – been ignored by most: that in seeking to understand Iran’s present state and its future, we must take into account the fact that the Iranian Church is growing at a faster rate than almost anywhere else in the world.

Underground Believers

This assertion is not about ethnic Christian groups (e.g. Armenians, Assyrians), but about new converts from Islam. The Gospel is spreading like wildfire amongst Muslims, even though they are forced to pursue their newfound faith in secret, fearing retaliation from their families, communities and authorities. But the number of new believers is so great – possibly as high as 3 million (Iran has a population of 80 million) - that some say it will soon reach a ‘critical mass’ and be forced out into the open. In the meantime, new believers must stay underground.

What does this mean for the protests – and for Iran’s future? At the moment, we can only guess. These secret brothers and sisters, scattered as they are, may be participating in the uprisings (statistics alone suggest that if the 3 million figure is correct, c.300 believers are among those being held in dreadful conditions in Iranian prisons), or even holding positions in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, within which it has long been reported that there are secret house churches!

But you can be sure that their faith in Jesus Christ will be influencing their behaviour wherever they are placed, potentially shaping the course of Iranian politics – and leading them to offer hope to others, again at incredible personal risk.

Glimpses of Hope

All this is by way of saying that our news media do not give us an accurate or complete picture of what is going on in the world – which of course we already knew! But when we catch glimpses of what God is doing, it can change our perspective entirely.

For me, this story has provided a fresh challenge to look beyond the news headlines and always be mindful to find out what the Lord is doing – behind the scenes, quietly, carefully. Knowing that He is building His Church in such a phenomenal way, in the midst of rebellion, corruption and violence, puts a whole new complexion on the situation – and should revolutionise our prayers.

Author: Frances Rabbitts