The perplexities of persecution require a very different kind of prayer.

• Author: Ripkin, Nik
• Position: Religion

PRES. BARACK OBAMA called for the release of U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae and American pastor Saeed Abedini during a National Prayer Breakfast, saying the U.S. continues to pray for "all prisoners of conscience," regardless of faith. As we should be, but it may not be the prayer that most immediately comes to mind.

In my 27 years as an international missionary, I have met Christians in Russia, Ukraine, Southeast Asia, and China who have been imprisoned for 20 years or more because of what they believe and, if we read our Bible, these stories should not come as a surprise. What they experienced is not dissimilar from what the early church experienced. It does not run contrary to what Jesus told us would happen. In fact, He told us to expect it.

So, allow me to suggest approaching this from a different perspective. Dare the Western church hear that persecution generally is equal to the spiritual harvest that is taking place--that where there is little persecution there is little spiritual harvest; that sometimes God, today, needs Joseph to be a prisoner in Pharaoh's prison?

How do we know when to leave Joseph in jail? Is it not God's responsibility to decide when Paul and Silas need to stay inside of the prison during an earthquake for the salvation of the Philippian jailer and his family or when the Apostle Peter is allowed to walk out of a prison untouched during another earthquake? Is it not the responsibility of the church to be in prayer constantly for those who are being persecuted and imprisoned?

Perhaps it is not always our job to intervene, demanding the release of those who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Often, it is at the point of persecution that believers in Jesus take advantage of the opportunity to witness to their persecutors. Today, however, when "our" Joseph is arrested unjustly and placed in Pharaoh's prison, we immediately demand his release. We bombard governments and United Nations agencies with e-mails and tweets, demanding immediate release. We often do so from a foundation of Western democracy, human and civil rights.

Yet, what is the end result if we obtain the release of Joseph from Pharaoh's prison before he has the opportunity to interpret Pharaoh's dream? What happens is that Egyptians and Jews alike starve to death. This is because we were unwilling to allow Joseph to suffer in prison for the sake of the kingdom of God and for the sake of those outside of the kingdom of God. The Western...