The Muslim neighborhood was saying, “Jesus is back and is healing again!” Why? Here’s the story.
Im-Annees is an Arab Muslim living near Bethlehem. Three of her six children have mental and physical disabilities. Her husband, those closest to her, and the community blame her for these problems. All three pregnancies occurred during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They believe not only that Im-Annees’s stress and fear caused her children to be abnormal, but that she is to blame for not controlling those emotions better.
Guilt ate at her insides. She was broken, hopeless, and embarrassed.
Healing comes to Im-Annees’ home
Knowing her situation, a Christian Arab pastor went to see Im-Annees. Tears of grief dripped off her chin as she told her story. Then the child with the most severe disorder, Anees*, crawled screaming into the room. His eyes were rolled back in his head and his drool dripped onto the floor.
At the sound of his ear-splitting cries, Im-Annees went silent. Shocked that such an interruption would happen in front of a man and a pastor, she was humiliated and ashamed.
The pastor gently touched the distressed mother. “Can I pray for your son?” Im-Annees aimlessly gazed at the scene and nodded.
The pastor told what happened next. “Anees looked into my eyes and stretched his hand toward me, grabbing my fingers. Looking into his eyes, I prayed in Arabic, ‘Anees, Jesus loves you!’ I continued praying in Arabic, declaring healing in the name and power of Jesus. His eyes returned to a normal position, his legs straightened, and he stood up. He was quiet, calm, and peaceful. The biggest, most joyful smile I have ever seen broke out on his face!”
Im-Annees cried tears of disbelief and gratitude. The pastor assured her that Jesus could also heal her heart and spirit.
The neighborhood hears the news
News traveled fast. The pastor began getting calls at 10:30 that night and into the next week. People wanted to learn more about what was happening. They remembered teachings from the Quran that Jesus was the greatest healer to walk the earth. Was Jesus again moving and healing in Palestine?
A few weeks later, more than 30 people from Im-Annees’s community came to a regularly scheduled outreach in hopes of getting answers. The gospel was preached and love was shown by the followers of Jesus. Calls have continued since that day, and hearts are softening.
The pastor’s final comment was, “This is the Lord at work, for a time such as this.”
Help local Christians spread the Good News in difficult places
*Names changed for security reasons
