Who Healed You?
As if life in Iraq isn't
difficult enough - imagine being a young
man with a wife and three children and
suddenly going blind. When this
happened to Hassan, he despaired. How
could he provide for his family? Then
he heard about a doctor in Baghdad who
might be able to help him.
The night before
they were to see the doctor, Hassan's
wife prayed for him in the names of
Hussein, Ali and Mohammad. The last
name he heard before he fell asleep was
the name of Jesus. At 3:00 AM he
suddenly had a vision of incredible
bright light - so bright that he
couldn't see anything else.
At first he was afraid, but then
he felt a warm, comforting feeling, and
then he realized that he could see
again! He woke up his wife and tried to
convince her, but she wouldn't believe
him until he poured water for her and
started telling her the colors of things
in the room. When dawn came, they
returned to their home in southern Iraq
without having seen the doctor.
When they arrived home, all the
relatives wanted to know what the doctor
had said. Instead of telling them what
had happened, Hassan took the tea pot
his mother brought into the room and
started pouring tea. Everyone was
screaming with joy; relatives and
friends from all over came to
congratulate him. Many asked WHO had
healed him and suggested Hussein,
Mohammad or Ali. Hassan's answer was
always that he did not know, but the
question was always in his mind.
One day he
decided to see a Christian friend of his
late father who told him that the Bible
would tell him who had healed him.
Hassan didn't have a Bible, so he went
to a church in his city, and when the
nun gave him the Book, he hid it under
his jacket. That night, when everyone
was asleep, Hassan and his wife read
passages and discovered that Jesus is
the healer.
When his mother came to visit,
he showed her the Bible and said, "This
is the One who healed me!" His mother
was angry. "No! That book belongs to
the Christians. Don't read it!" She
left, only to return a short while later
with Hassan's brothers who beat him and
his wife.
Hassan moved his family to
another part of the city, but a gang
came and kidnapped him and beat him.
After three days, they pulled out an
electric drill and held it next to his
throat, but when the electricity was
cut, his captors let him go. Several
months later, he was kidnapped again and
was again beaten for several days.
After the second kidnapping,
Hassan was able to get his family to
neighboring Syria, but even there he is
not safe. Since arriving there, he's
received two very clear death threats
which have forced him to change either
his job or his housing.
And yet, Hassan and his wife
continue to grow in their walk with the
Lord!
