The telecom industry has been my home since 1988 - primarily in the tower industry. Towers, of course, mean that the world is worked in a vertical manner rather than horizontal (towers are built from the ground up). The tower world is very challenging. Competition for contracts is great. Risks are also great.

Obviously the news I focused on in that industry varied: products, services, suppliers, contractors, contracts, etc. Additionally there is the day-to-day news that spreads quickly; particularly when that news carries accident and/or death reports. Every industry has its hot topics. Accidents and/or death news travels quickly in the tower industry. This particular topic made it very easy for me to pray for those whom I worked with or those contractors whom I hired. Every person has a name, a family, a place to call home.

I am now in a related telecom area - the MMC. But here our job is to successfully share the Gospel of Christ to the lost of Arabic and Spanish speaking people of the Mediterranean region. And hot topics of this world travel quickly as well. We regulary hear of the persecuted believers to whom we minister.

Recently our morning prayer time included praying for some in a North African assembly. We sought the Lord diligently for protection for these believers from governmental harassment. We called out their names before the Lord. We desired that they would receive miraculous intervention. They were arrested nontheless, taken from family, friends, and fellowship.

I can’t help but comparing the parallels. We pray for the best that we could imagine for someone (regardless of the industry) and we are grateful when they return safety. But in this type of ministry we too often hear far too many tales of persecution instead of rescue. My American mind can’t altogether capture this. Apparently either I am accustomed to praying for easier issues, or my faith is only challenged when it comes to believing the Lord for my own faith and not the faith of others.

Great prayers with great faith for others comes rather easily. Why? I think it’s because it doesn’t cost us anything. And if the prayer is answered we feel pretty good about it. But if that prayer is not answered, well, what challenge have we yet experienced? We go about our daily grind with a simple wondering as to why God chose not to answer. But my faith is typically not challenged. I move on with my life.

Moving on doesn’t happen so well here. Hearing daily of the trials of my brothers and sisters in closed countries reminders me that my responsibility is ever before me: effective fervent prayer regardless of the outcome. Our God is Supreme above all gods. He is sovereign over all peoples. He sets up rulers and He brings them down.

He will complete the work that He began, though at times the disparaging differences between Scripture and what our ears/eyes behold seem so distant.

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:12-13).