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When the World Is Watching the Middle East, So Is God

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The news cycle has been relentless. Iran. Pakistan. Conflict, instability, and rising tension dominate the headlines coming out of the Greater Middle East. It’s easy to feel the weight of it, the noise, the nervousness, the uncertainty about what comes next.

But we want to raise our eyes above the headlines and ask a different question: What is God seeing?

God Sees His People Being Persecuted

This is not new. He saw it in the Old Testament, and He sees it today. Across the Middle East, Christians are facing sustained and, in many places, intensifying persecution. A recent article noted that whereas Christians made up roughly 20% of the population in the Middle East a century ago, that figure has dwindled to just over 3% today.

In Iran specifically, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has increasingly subjected Christians to arbitrary arrest, detainment, and violence. The Iranian regime has collectively sentenced hundreds of Christian converts to hundreds of years in prison on charges of apostasy, and is now using conflict with the US and Israel as a pretext to crack down further on its Christian minority.

A century feels long to us. It does not to God. He has not looked away.

God Sees His People’s Faithfulness

Here is where the story takes a remarkable turn. Reports of church growth in places like Iran are nothing short of stunning. In fact, some observers suggest that the very instability gripping the region is creating more room for the Gospel to spread.

We are witnessing this firsthand through League Partners. Elam Ministries has launched a Farsi Community on the PTL App, walking closely with new believers and those seeking Christ and helping them take next steps in faith even amid dangerous circumstances. In Pakistan, this past Christmas, 500,000 people were invited to meet Jesus at rallies held across the country. Since then, League Partner, Gawahi Mission, has maintained sustained follow-up, managing over 8,000 monthly calls from people curious about Jesus. We’ve had the privilege of training their team to turn that call center into a direct Gospel-sharing opportunity through the PTL App.

One Gospel shared in Pakistan recently led to 73 salvations. Seventy-three people with names, families, and futures whose eternities changed because someone was faithful to share.

God Is Stirring Hearts Across the Region

In just the last six months, over 500,000 people downloaded the Gospel of John App across five countries: Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. These are not passive downloads. These are people actively seeking something more than what the world around them offers.

The prophet Isaiah gives us a framework for moments like this. In the midst of brutal exile and hardship, Isaiah describes how God “whistles” (Isaiah 5:26; 7:18), calling nation after nation to accomplish His purposes. The chaos was not outside of God’s plan. It was part of it. Those seasons of suffering and exile set the stage for the Suffering Servant who is Savior. The same God who orchestrated redemption across centuries is still sovereignly at work today.

Our Calling Remains Simple

Many spend energy trying to decode what God has planned for the future. At The Pocket Testament League, we have a different calling: to be faithful and to invite as many people as possible to eternal salvation. That calling doesn’t change when the headlines get louder.

We are deeply grateful for trusted partners, including Elam Ministries, Gawahi Mission, and others, who stand ready to walk with those who respond. Together, when we look at world affairs through God’s eyes, the Gospel impact far outweighs what any news cycle would suggest. Real lives are being changed by the power of God’s Word.

Join Us in Prayer

As we press forward, we invite you to pray with us:

  • For growth — that God would lead us to more ministries for whom the community feature of the PTL App would serve seekers and new believers well. We have plans for communities across Africa, Europe, and beyond, but we want God’s plan.

  • For protection — for believers and seekers living under constant threat in the Greater Middle East.

  • For boldness — that League partners would continue to share with courage, and that hearts would remain open to the Gospel.

Until All Are Invited.