If I Perish, I Perish
Meriam Yahia Ibrahim was since released from prison and found her new home in the United States of America.
A beautiful Sudanese woman—27 years old—sentenced, on May 11, to 100 lashes and death by hanging. She is pregnant and her 20-month-old son is imprisoned with her. What convictions give her the courage to risk her life, the life of her unborn child, and her young son’s life?
She is in prison because she won’t renounce her Christian faith.
She said, “I am not giving up Christianity just so that I can live.” She must be convinced that, even if her physical life is taken, her eternal destiny is secure. Who does she take courage from to stand by this conviction?
Could it be from Esther, whose words echo down through the centuries, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Or could it be from Stephen, in Acts 7, while he was being stoned, “Lord Jesus, do not hold this sin against them.”
Meriam Yahia Ibrahim’s future is uncertain. Authorities say they will allow her to nurse her new baby girl, Maya, for two years before they carry out her sentence, but no one knows for sure what will happen.
We can be assured that she takes her courage and daily strength from God. “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
In Hebrews 13:3 Jesus asks us to “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners.” How can we pray for those imprisoned for their faith? Imagine how you would feel if you were in prison with a newborn baby and a young son. What would you need? How would you want others to pray for you? Then pray those things.
Pray for God’s peace, for a sense of His presence, for her husband to be allowed to care for their little boy, for nourishment enough to feed her baby, for her release, for the literally millions who are following her story to be convinced that Jesus is worth following . . . because of her courage.
