As
tensions escalate in the Middle East with recent joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on
Iran, perhaps you contemplate your understanding of faith, courage, and divine
intervention. What the secular world
views as mere geopolitics, many Christians recognize as part of a larger
spiritual narrative: a storyline where oppression crumbles and the Gospel
flourishes.
President Donald J. Trump’s role in these developments – his flaws notwithstanding – exemplifies a righteous stand against tyranny, potentially ushering in freedom for the Iranian people and opening doors for spiritual revival.
Go back to 2021 during a clandestine gathering in a modest safe house somewhere in Iraq. The atmosphere was serene, punctuated only by the soft notes of a keyboard accompanying heartfelt prayers for a bold mission. Five Iranian women stood at the center of the room, surrounded by about 15 others: local Kurdish believers, dedicated long-term missionaries from the West, expats who had traded Western luxuries for frontline service. These women had braved days of perilous travel across borders and ISIS-controlled checkpoints to receive prayer and a spiritual commissioning. Their purpose was clear and unwavering: upon returning to Iran, they would disperse to different provinces, planting underground churches in unreached villages, remote towns, and isolated ethnic groups where Christianity remains a forbidden whisper.
These weren’t the prayers typical of Western Christianity, fixated on financial favor or relief from minor inconveniences. Instead, their petitions were raw and resolute: “Let us reach just one more with the Gospel.” They embodied the Apostle Paul’s declaration in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
The risks were staggering; evangelizing under Iran’s authoritarian regime could lead not only to their own executions but also to the imprisonment or death of their families. Yet, as hands were laid upon them in that humble space, their expressions radiated pure joy, unmarred by fear or sorrow. Martyrdom was a probable outcome, but it scarcely seemed to register. Their focus remained on the miraculous ways God had drawn them to faith, some through dreams of the “Man in White” — a phenomenon reported widely in Muslim-majority areas of the Middle East, echoing Joel 2:28: “I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
Among them were two sisters, inseparable since birth and now in their late 30s, who would likely never reunite in this life. Theirs was a sacrifice so few of us in the West can grasp, yet it underscored the depth of their commitment. They anticipation that God would reveal Himself to their fellow Persians. True discipleship demands courage, and in persecuted regions, the church thrives not despite adversity, but because of it.
Conflict in the Middle East has a long track record of inflicting disproportionate suffering on civilians while benefiting a select few. But unlike the past, countless Iranian civilians are expressing heartfelt gratitude. “Thank you,” they are earnestly saying for the nation (USA) they see as a beacon of freedom. This shows how God can redeem even imperfect actions for good, as Romans 8:28 assures: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
Reservations about the strikes initially lingered until President Trump’s confirmation of the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In his Truth Social post and subsequent statements, Trump declared Khamenei – “one of the most evil figures in history” — dead following the joint U.S.-Israeli operation, describing it as justice for victims of the regime and the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.
In that moment, I had not simple the feeling of patriotism, though I am proud to be an American, but a sense that principled leadership was aligning with biblical justice. President Trump, for all his personal shortcomings, has consistently positioned himself as a defender of religious liberty and a foe of oppressive regimes.
This isn’t a blind endorsement; Trump’s motives may include strategic interests or political calculations. Yet, Scripture abounds with examples of God using flawed individuals for righteous ends. Consider Cyrus the Great, the Persian king whom God anointed as “My shepherd” (Isaiah 44:28) to free the Jewish exiles, despite Cyrus’s pagan background.
Similarly, Trump’s actions could dismantle the barriers to freedom in Iran, where the regime’s radical ideology has rejected human rights and religious expression for decades. By striking at the heart of the regime’s grip—most notably through Khamenei’s death—these interventions create opportunities for democratic reforms and, most importantly, for the unhindered spread of the Gospel. Iran’s underground church, already the fastest-growing in the world, could explode into the open, fulfilling the Great Commission in one of the most restricted nations.
Critics may decry American involvement as imperial overreach, driven by oil ambitions or imperial desires. Yet, in this context, it appears as something more profound: a vessel for divine purpose. Just as God orchestrated the fall of ancient empires to liberate His people, so might He be at work here and decisively so, through the removal of the regime’s longstanding spiritual oppressor. The “Lion of Persia,” a symbol of Iran’s storied heritage, could roar anew—not in defiance, but in revival. Imagine an Iran where citizens enjoy political freedoms and, even more vitally, encounter the transformative power of Jesus Christ. Those brave women prayed for the church to be built on the backs of every “one more” that heard the Gospel message, multiplied across a nation, which could mean millions finding eternal hope.
As Christians, we are called to pray for peace, justice, and the persecuted (Hebrews 13:3). In President Trump’s decisive actions, we see a glimmer of righteousness amid chaos. We see a leader willing to challenge evil, protect the vulnerable, and foster conditions for spiritual awakening.
May the dust of war give way to a new dawn in Iran, where tyranny yields to truth, and the Gospel echoes freely. The world watches; let us hope and pray that God’s kingdom advances through it all.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
