Life and healing in the Palestinian wilderness

Ahmadi* grew up the only child of a poor Muslim family in Palestine. His father served as a soldier with the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) under Yasser Arafat.

While still in school, Ahmadi became friends with a young Christian fellow who regaled him with stories of Jesus. The Muslim boy found the stories of the amazing man Jesus interesting, and had no problem with the idea of him being a prophet—all Muslims knew and accepted that. But when his school friend began talking about Jesus as the Way, Truth and Life … the crucified One whose resurrection opened the only way to Heaven … the friendship nearly ended. True to the faith he was raised in, Ahmadi found the idea of Jesus’ resurrection ridiculous, even offensive. So the relationship endured so long as the Christian boy kept his Bible stories out of their conversations.

Then came the fateful day Israeli soldiers killed Ahmadi’s father. In complete shock, Ahmadi stopped going to classes. As an only child, he felt obligated to find a day-laborer job so he and his mother could afford to live and eat.

His hatred of Jews grew after the death of his father, and hearing that Christians around the world supported Israel, he began to detest them as well.  

Palestinian demonstrators burn an Israeli flag during a rally in central Gaza city, Oct. 13, 2000: AP Photo

When he reached 20, his mother decided her son should have a wife and took it upon herself to find him one. They married but remained childless, Ahmadi continuing to support his mother until her death by breast cancer.

About a month ago, attempting to cross a road while carrying a load of grain, Ahmadi missed seeing a truck veering towards him. The truck knocked him over, and when police arrived, they found him seriously injured and unable to move. They rushed him to the hospital and informed his wife. Within several days, doctors realized they could do nothing more for him medically, and asked his wife to take him back home and care for him there.

Unfortunately Ahmadi’s wife had neither the love nor inclination to help him. He lay untended, covered in bedsores, his injuries oozing puss and the bed increasingly soiled by his own excrement.

One night, his wife and two of her friends took Ahmadi from his bed, rolled him up in a mat, and brought him to a deserted area where they left him to die.

All Ahmadi knew at that point was unbearable thirst. He begged for water, but no one was there to hear or answer. His feverish brain suddenly recalled how the Christian friend from his boyhood had talked about Jesus having ‘living water’; how, however improbable, whoever drank that water would never thirst again.

"JESUS!” he screamed with as much strength as he could muster. “My Living Water, my Savior, give me to drink. Give me to drink. Save me Lord!"

He could barely believe what his eyes showed him next. A stream flowing from heaven to his own mouth … could it be? In that stream an extraordinarily beautiful man appeared, looking almost like a star shining in and from the water. The man had nail-scarred hands and what? A hole in His chest?  He noticed both live-giving water and blood flowing from the hole.

"I am Jesus of Nazareth,” the beautiful man announced. “The Son of the most high God. I was crucified for you, I died, and I rose from the dead. By my stripes you are healed; by my death you have entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you believe Me?"

"I do Lord!” Ahmadi assured Him. “I believe You are my only Savior and Lord!" Something feeling like an electric shock jolted Ahmadi through and through. He stood immediately, completely healed. The Lord and the stream of water disappeared.

Ahmadi knelt down and began to pray. He hardly knew how to form appropriate words, but could feel the Holy Spirit prompting and inspiring him.

Around the same time, a Palestinian Bibles for MIdeast pastor, his family, and a small group of believers had been praying and fasting in their remote underground church. One of the believers felt led to prophesy about “a man who was going to see the Lord Jesus from the valley of death.”  He went on to describe the location, and said they were to go to that place and bring back the man to be God’s witness.

Pastor Jaseel* and his team continued in prayer even as they began their search, eventually reaching the deserted spot where Ahmadi knelt, still praying to the Lord he had just met.

Introducing himself to Ahmadi, the pastor heard more of his story and tried to help him better understand all that had happened.

Ahmadi, not wanting to return to his own home, followed the team back to where they lived. He remains with Pastor Jaseel, learning more about the Lord he now loves and serves, and worshipping Himin Spirit and Truth. Please pray for him, all Palestinian underground believers, and for further guidance from the Holy Spirit.

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* Names changed for security reasons