When Habsa heard how much it would cost to remove the cancer in her abdomen, she thought the news was a death sentence. An unmarried woman in a Muslim country, she had no insurance and couldn’t afford thousands of dollars in medical expenses.

When Habsa told the news to the Muslim-background believers in her house church, she assured them she would be OK. After all, Christ had died and risen again so that she didn’t need to be afraid of the future—no matter the unknowns it held.

The leader of the house church told his ministry partners on a Frontiers team about Habsa’s situation and invited them to a time of prayer for her. During the gathering, several people sensed that this was a special opportunity for the young body of believers to magnify the name of Jesus—by coming together to help meet Habsa’s financial need.

Then the pandemic started. Unable to meet in person, they started virtual gatherings to pray for their sister. The Frontiers workers also began calling Muslim-background followers of Christ in other cities to tell them about Habsa’s operation.

Some believers had just lost jobs because of the lockdown due to the pandemic. Still, many of them gave what they could. Within months, enough money had been given to cover Habsa’s surgery, and the operation was scheduled.

But the day before the procedure, the doctor performed a routine check-up on Habsa’s heart. It showed that one of her arteries was clogged. Explaining that Habsa needed to have a stent surgically inserted before he could remove the cancer, the doctor ordered an analysis for the next day to determine the extent of the blockage.

Such a surgery would cost thousands of dollars more. Facing another impossible hurdle, the local believers and Frontiers workers prayed for Habsa’s artery to clear immediately.

The following day, Habsa had her analysis done. The doctor reviewed the results and was astonished to find that her artery was no longer blocked.

“That’s the power of prayer in Jesus’ name,” Habsa explained to the bewildered doctor. Now she had the green light to proceed with the cancer surgery.

The operation was a success, and Habsa spent a week recovering in the hospital. Her friend Zahra, a fellow Muslim-background believer, stayed by her side the whole time.

Throughout the week, the two women shared the Gospel with every nurse who came in to check on the patient. Habsa found natural ways to turn the conversation to Jesus. Then with winsome candor, Zahra would share the message of the Good News. Having never met fearless followers of Jesus, the nurses and hospital staff were all shocked to find two of them in their own city.

Several nurses kept coming into Habsa’s room to hear about Christ. Showing up on the pretense of needing to check on the patient, they’d sit next to Habsa and listen to her and Zahra share from the Word.

The day before Habsa was released, five Muslim nurses asked for a Bible. Zahra saw to it that each went home that day with her own copy.

“Last night my husband and I read from the Bible you gave me,” one nurse said the next day. “We love what your book says about Jesus, and we’re going to continue reading it.”

After Habsa was discharged, three nurses volunteered to visit her at home to help her recover. Even though Habsa has healed from the operation, the nurses are still coming to hear from the Word and learn more about Christ.

• Praise God for using the cancer that was meant to destroy life to open the hearts of Muslims to eternal life in Jesus Christ.
• Pray for protection and good health for Habsa.
• Pray that Muslim-background believers will be salt and light in their communities and share with boldness the hope that is within them.
• Ask the Lord to raise up new teams of Gospel witnesses to go and share Christ with Muslims.

**This account come from a long-term field worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**

Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/power-of-prayer-to-save-a-life