Homa’s hope for Iran’s future

Homa is a young Iranian who came to faith after God spoke to her in a crisis. She experienced fear and danger during the protests and unrest – and now she is seeking to serve Jesus as the unshaking foundation of Iran’s future hope.

Written by Bahar*, an Iranian Christian living outside the country

Like many young Iranians, Homa* (23) carries memories of fear, unrest and loss. The recent protests and political turmoil have left their scars. But woven through her story is another reality too, one she never expected to encounter so personally: the presence of Jesus Christ. 

Her journey of faith begins in a hospital corridor. One ordinary day at university, Homa is sitting in class when her phone rings. Her mother has collapsed in the street. Strangers have called an ambulance, and she has been taken to hospital in critical condition. 

As Homa rushes there with her father, an old fear rises inside her again. Since childhood, she has carried a deep terror of losing her mother. Seeing her lying weak in a hospital bed brings all of it flooding back. Soon her mother is transferred to intensive cardiac care, isolated from visitors while doctors fight to save her life. 

The night of the operation, Homa stays home because of an exam the following morning. Alone in her room, fear finally turns into anger. 

A conversation with God 

She has always believed God exists. As a child, she occasionally visited a church in town with her aunts. People around her spoke about God with certainty and devotion, but Homa herself had grown disappointed and distant. “I believed He was there,” she says, “but I thought He just watched and did nothing.” 

That night, for the first time in years, she speaks honestly to God. “God, I’m tired,” she prays. “I’m tired of this fear of losing my mum. If You are really there, bring her back to me.” 

Then she falls asleep. In her dream, she is holding her mother’s hand and weeping. It feels painfully real, as though she has truly lost her. Suddenly, someone stands before her and says gently, “Don’t worry. Your mother will return.” 

Immediately, Homa recognises Him. Years earlier, she had once watched a film about the life of Jesus. “It was Him,” she says simply. 

When she wakes up the next morning, she learns that the surgery has succeeded. Only later does the family discover how close her mother had come to death. Doctors tell the family that only a miracle can save her. 

Her mother survives major surgery. But what impacts Homa most deeply is what her mother describes afterwards. During the operation, in a moment between consciousness and darkness, she senses someone beside her saying, “Do not be afraid. I am with you.” 

For Homa, the experience changes everything. 

Not long afterwards, during a late-night conversation with her aunt, she decides to fully surrender her life to Jesus Christ. In 2024, her faith becomes personal. No longer inherited, observed from a distance or carried through family tradition, it becomes her own. 

Yet while her faith is growing, Iran itself is shaking. 

Protests and dangers 

Like many young people, Homa finds herself caught in the tension and uncertainty spreading through the streets. She joins protest gatherings alongside ordinary Iranians demanding change. She remembers blocked roads, crowds running through smoke-filled streets and the constant awareness that violence could erupt at any moment. 

One night, security forces suddenly close in near where she and her aunt are standing. Tear gas fills the air. Gunfire erupts around them. 

“We thought everything might end there,” Homa says. 

She has dressed carefully before leaving home, wearing layers of clothing to protect herself if violence breaks out. Even so, when the forces surround them only a few steps away, escape seems impossible. Then, in a brief moment while officers reload their weapons, Homa grabs her aunt’s hand and runs. A nearby resident opens a door and pulls them inside to safety. 

The following night, she narrowly escapes again after security forces appear suddenly in her street. A hotel receptionist hides her until the danger passes. 

During the unrest, a plastic bullet strikes her arm. The bruise remains long afterwards, a visible reminder of those nights and of how fragile life had become. 

But the deepest wounds are not physical. 

One of Homa’s friends is killed during that period. Fear and grief settle heavily over her life. Eventually, her family encourage her to leave Iran for a time to recover emotionally and spiritually. 

She travels to a neighbouring country to stay with a relative, whom she has not seen in nearly ten years. From the outside, it appears to be a chance for rest and safety. Inside, however, Homa feels tormented by guilt. “Why did I survive?” she keeps asking herself. “Why wasn’t I killed too?” 

Homa attends a Christian conference, held by one of the Open Doors local partners, for the first time. Surrounded by worship, prayer and other believers, she experiences something she had never known before: peace without fear. 

During the conference, one of the speakers shares a picture that feels deeply personal to her. 

“I saw you sitting beside a river, thirsty, but unsure whether to drink,” the speaker says. “God gave you water. You drank and were satisfied. That water was the water of life and you gave it to others too.” In that moment, the guilt she has carried for weeks begins to lift. 

For the first time since leaving Iran, Homa no longer believes she survived by accident. She begins to understand that God preserved her life for a purpose. 

Soon afterwards, she is baptised. 

Some young Iranians dream only of leaving. Homa understands why. She has seen violence up close. She has lost friends. She knows fear intimately. 

Yet her story does not end with escape. Instead, she speaks about returning with faith, with hope and with a conviction that Iran’s future cannot be built on fear alone. 

And now, rather than abandoning her country, she believes God is calling her to serve it. 

Because for Homa, Jesus Christ is not only the one who saved her mother’s life. He is also the foundation strong enough for a generation of young Iranians determined to rebuild their future upon a rock that never shakes.

*Name changed for security reasons