After a devastating earthquake in a neighboring city, my Frontiers team and I spent every weekend helping construct shelters for those most affected. One day while nailing together the frame of a temporary house, I noticed an older man I didn’t recognize. He hovered nearby, looking nervous.
Taking a short break from my work, I smiled at him and introduced myself in the local language.
“My name is Yusuf,” he said. “My wife is not well. Her mind has not been at peace since the shaking started.”
When I offered to pray for her in Jesus’ name, Yusuf smiled broadly.
“Would you?” He darted away, then glanced over his shoulder and motioned for me to follow. “Come.”
I asked if I could pray for her healing in Jesus’ name, and Ceren welcomed it.
I let my team know I’d be back soon and made my way across the street to a small home that had miraculously remained intact. Outside, several people slumped in chairs and on buckets, talking quietly. Although the afternoon sun shone brightly, the scene felt dark and dreary.
Yusuf made his way to an older woman and knelt beside her. His hand rested on her shoulder as she stared off into the distance. It was easy to see that something plagued her.
“Farhana, this man has come to pray for you.” Yusuf repeated himself twice before she seemed to hear him.
When Farhana finally looked my way, we exchanged a quiet greeting. “Would you like to tell me what’s bothering you?” I asked.
She quickly shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I sensed the Holy Spirit wanted me to stay with Yusuf and Farhana, so instead of returning to my team, I struck up a conversation with the others in Yusuf’s family. Eventually, Yusuf’s sister Ceren told me about her upcoming knee surgery.
“I’m worried it won’t help and that I’ll always be in pain,” she said.
I asked if I could pray for her healing in Jesus’ name, and Ceren welcomed it. Afterward, I asked if she felt any changes.
“No,” she responded. “Thank you for trying though.”
I pray that one day they’ll experience the greatest miracle of all—peace with God through Jesus Christ.
While I continued talking with the others, Ceren retreated into the house. As I turned my attention back to Farhana, I heard excited shouts coming from inside. I peeked through the door and saw several people crowded around Ceren.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
Yusuf’s sister climbed the stairs just beyond the entrance. Then she worked her way down. “Before you prayed, I couldn’t do this!” Her excited smile radiated through the darkness I had seen before, lifting the spirits of everyone in the house.
As the family celebrated Ceren’s healing, Farhana stared at me for a long moment. Then she began pouring out the horrors she’d experienced during the earthquake.
“The walls shifted left and right. Everything seemed to jump up and down. I thought I was going to die, and all I could think about was never seeing my children again.” She shuddered. “Even though I should be happy that we all survived, I wonder why we did when so many of our friends did not.”
I listened to her story, silently praying that God would give her peace. When Farhana stopped speaking, I offered some scriptures that had often brought me hope. Finally, I prayed that the God of all comfort would remove her anxious thoughts.
As I rose to leave, Farhana gave me a gentle smile and a soft word of thanks.
But before I could return to my teammates at the worksite, a few more of Yusuf’s family members asked me to pray for them too. Some wanted healing from physical ailments. Others longed for freedom from depression and survivor’s guilt.
I didn’t witness any other obvious miracles that day, but nobody seemed disappointed. I certainly wasn’t.
God moved in a mighty way and brought me several new friends to share the Gospel with and many more names to add to my prayer list. He also brought hope to this weary family, and I pray that one day they’ll experience the greatest miracle of all—peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Pray:
- Ask God to lead Yusuf’s family to the spiritual healing found only in Jesus.
- Pray that the Lord will send more Frontiers field workers to bring living hope into the Muslim world.
- Praise the Lord for the incredible way He brings beauty from ashes!
When Mira prayed for her father, she witnessed a miracle that changed her family.
This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.