Healing of a different Kind

Hakim was a physician and the chief of staff at one of the best hospitals in the Middle East. Yet with all of his skill, knowledge and experience, he couldn’t find a cure for the illness that was plaguing his wife. As the disease progressed, she became completely paralyzed, and was unable to do even the most basic tasks on her own. It soon became necessary for Hakim to leave his work at the hospital and provide care for her at their home.

As the weeks went by, and Hakim could see no improvement in his wife’s condition, his frustration grew to bitterness. “These things weren’t supposed to be happening to us,” Hakim recalled. “I began to feel as if we were the recipients of some cosmic joke.” When his wife slept, Hakim would sit in a chair in his living room and seethe.

A knock at the door

One day, when he was feeling overwhelmed by their situation, two Bible League-trained national Christians knocked on his door. They explained that they were visiting each of the homes in the neighborhood, but Hakim didn’t want to let them in. When they offered to simply pray for him and his family, he invited them inside.

Even though Hakim was a Muslim, he was open to anything that might help his wife improve—and help him cope. These Christians were considered “People Of The Book” who worshipped one God, just like Muslims. But their Holy Book, the Bible, offered such beautiful assurances and comfort – something Hakim never found while reading the Koran. They prayed for his wife and also for Hakim. Then they asked if they could return on another day, and Hakim agreed.

After visiting Hakim every week for two months, the Christian visitors noticed changes in him. He was more positive, and he talked about the Bible all the time. God’s Word had definitely taken hold in his life. Although many of his circumstances were still the same, Hakim happily accepted the truth of God’s Word. He was finding hope and comfort in the Scriptures, and as he shared them with his wife, the Lord began to convince them that He was an ever present help in time of need.