Cancer-stricken Christian apologist and author Nabeel Qureshi has asked for prayers that God would perform a miracle “within the next few days” as doctors have given up on treating his body and have recommended palliative care.
“Not the best news,” Nabeel, a Muslim convert to Christianity who previously served with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, said a video update from his hospital bed.
“The doctors have pretty much given up on treating me. They think my body is in it’s final stages of life and so they have suggested palliative care. That’s what we’re doing, we are just doing comfort measures. For example, right now, doctors have decided no more calories for me for a few days, and if that means that bad things happen, then bad things happen.”
The 34-year-old “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus” author, who first announced his stage 4 cancer diagnosis last August, said things are looking “pretty grim.”
“I could really use your prayers,” he said. “If we want the Lord to come through and do a miracle, it needs to happen in the next few days. I know it’s dire news, but I figured I’d share it with you so I can have your prayers.”
The one thing he’s been wrestling with through his illness, Qureshi said, is the question of “where does my faith need to be?” vs. “I, as a believer and a real person, where can I actually find my faith?”
“In other words, do I need to perform?” he explained. “Do I need to say, ‘I’m going to have this level of faith right now?’ And honestly I don’t think so. I think God understands where I am right now, and He comes alongside us in that and He loves us and He gives us the strength for today.”
Nabeel once again asked his followers to pray for him before concluding with prayer.
“Father, we come before you, trusting you even now for a miracle,” he said. “We know that John 11 uses those exact words – even now, you can do a miracle. We saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead, we see the Lord in Genesis 22, rescue Isaac at the very last second. We see the dead girl raised from the dead. Luke 7, we see a boy raised from the dead. So, God is able, He is more than able. I’m just going to rest in that as best I can.”
He added, “Lord, we know you are able. Please heal, please come through, but if it shouldn’t be Your will, your sovereign will at the end of the day, then I trust You, and I love You anyway. We praise You, Lord. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.”
