Extraordinary God

Ashraf began to secure a loose shutter to the side of the house he’d been hired to work on but stopped when he realized it was crooked. With a heavy sigh, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, adjusted the wood, and tried again.

This wasn’t the first mistake he’d made today. It probably wouldn’t be his last either. He couldn’t seem to concentrate on his work—especially when his baby daughter was at home fighting to survive.

Suddenly, the homeowner Randy, a Frontiers field worker, clapped him on the shoulder and greeted him. Ashraf jumped, nearly dropping his tools.

“How are you today?” Randy asked. “You’re not smiling like usual. Do you want to talk about something?”

Ashraf sighed, wishing his friend wasn’t right and he could go back to work. He also knew speaking with Randy always made him feel better, so he nodded.

“I know Jesus will get you through this.”

After settling in a rattan chair on the patio, Ashraf leaned his elbows on his knees and stared into the lush green yard. “Little Zara is sick. She hasn’t been breathing well so we took her to the hospital. Yesterday, the doctors told us they found a hole in her heart.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I’m supposed to take care of her, but I can’t fix this.”

“I’m so sorry.” Randy dropped into the chair beside him. “But we know Someone who can help. Have you prayed about it?”

Medical issues had plagued his family for more than a year, but grief and heartache never followed. He’d nearly lost his father to a stroke, his wife to cancer, and Zara to an accident before she was even born. Though each situation had seemed impossible to survive, Randy encouraged him to pray in Jesus’ name, and Ashraf had experienced miracles.

During those struggles, Ashraf and Randy had had many conversations about Jesus. Ashraf had even started believing Jesus was more than a prophet. But what were the limits of His power and kindness?

Ashraf shook his head. “Do you really think Jesus will heal Zara a second time?”

“I don’t know the answer,” Randy admitted. “I told you before, the Lord might not always move mountains for you. But I’ve never seen Him work in anyone’s life the way He has in yours.“

Randy folded his hands in front of him and leaned in closer. “The Lord is showing Himself to you, Ashraf. He wants you to trust in Him, no matter what happens. I don’t know the outcome, but I know Jesus will get you through this.”

Ashraf inhaled a deep breath, thinking it over before he finally agreed. “Yes. I believe He will.”

“Would you like to pray together for Zara’s healing in Jesus’ name?”

With a nod, Ashraf agreed and the friends spent several minutes praying that Jesus would heal Zara and Ashraf’s family would experience another miracle.  

Jesus could do anything.

After they finished, Ashraf packed up his tools and headed home. At his door, his wife greeted him excitedly, pulling him toward where Zara slept in her crib. “I don’t know what happened. One minute she struggled to breathe. Now she sounds better.”

Ashraf wasn’t sure Jesus would respond so quickly to his prayers, but he continued them throughout the night. Each time he checked on the baby, she seemed to improve.

In the morning, they returned to the hospital where Ashraf asked the doctors to run more tests. When the results came in, he could hardly believe them. Not only were all of Zara’s symptoms gone, but so was the hole in her heart.

Happy tears rolled down his wife’s cheeks. “That’s impossible. Are you sure?”

Even before the doctors could confirm the incredible news, Ashraf knew the answer. Jesus could do anything.

“I’m ready to trust in Him alone.”

After leaving the hospital, he went straight to Randy’s house to share what had happened.

“My wife called it ‘extraordinary circumstances’, but I know it was your extraordinary God. Jesus is my God now too. If He’s powerful enough to do all this, then I know He can do everything else you say He did. I’m ready to trust in Him alone.”

They talked and prayed for a long time after that, and the things Randy had told him about Christ became even clearer.

Soon, Ashraf began sharing his new faith with friends and neighbors. Even his father, a leader at the local mosque, said he wanted to learn more about Jesus.

Though his wife remains skeptical, many Muslims in the community have also expressed interest in studying the Injil with him since hearing of Zara’s healing. There are now 22 neighbors gathering regularly to study the Word, all because of an extraordinary set of circumstances orchestrated by the extraordinary God.

Pray:

• Lift up Ashraf as he faithfully shares the Good News with his family and neighbors. Pray that his wife’s heart will be softened toward the Lord and that Zara will come to trust in Jesus at a young age.
• Ask God to continue revealing His power and love to Muslim men and women through healings and other miracles.
• Praise God for the wonderful ways He works, and ask Him to send more Frontiers field workers to the least-reached places.