Christian apologist and author Nabeel Qureshi said in a video blog posted to his Facebook that even though the storms keep coming, God is still good.
He recalled asking for prayers that his second round of chemo would have “maximum impact but minimum side effects,” and that is exactly what God had given him.
He thanked everyone who prayed for him, saying the experience after his second chemo was “seven to nine times better than the last one.”
“Last time, I was just flat on my back for days, whereas this time around, I was … I had a little bit of nausea and I was tired, but it was so much better,” Qureshi said in the video. “Thank you so much for praying. I think that made a tremendous difference.”
He rejoiced in the fact that he still had hair, jokingly saying that despite the treatment, it had grown long enough that his mother told him to have it cut
“I have to say, the side effects were so minimal this time that I wondered whether the chemo did anything,” he said. He was scheduled for his third round of chemo yesterday, Oct. 21, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.
Qureshi shared the questions that played in his mind, such as: Should he be spending most of his time recovering, or should he spend time ministering, and how much?
He admitted that choosing to spend more time to rest and recover would entail long hours of being alone with his thoughts, which often left him thinking about his present condition.
“Rest and recovery comes at the cost of sitting there and thinking about this all the time,” Qureshi said. “If you’re just sitting there and recovering and reading Scripture, you’re constantly thinking about the diagnosis. I’m not sure if that’s the way to go about it.”
On Aug. 31, the Christian apologist announced on Facebook that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. He said he was cancelling most of his speaking engagements. He had his first chemo treatment in late September and the second one in early October.
In his latest update, Qureshi said that, even though he reminded himself of God’s love and sovereignty, there were times when he needed “tangible reminders” of the Father’s love. And the gifts he has received from people from different parts of the world served as tangible reminders of how God cares about him.
“Where am I theologically right now, in the midst of all this?” he said. “Trusting that it’s God’s heart to heal, thinking about Christ and His repeated demonstration of the will of the Father .”
Qureshi also opened up about some difficulties he was going through, although there were specific details he refused to share just yet. He asked for prayers for him and his family.
“The storms keep coming. I mean, it is pouring right now, but God is good,” Qureshi said. “He’s on the throne. It’s the same God who released the captives from Egypt. It’s the same God who raised Lazarus from the dead. It’s the same God who sent His Son into the world to suffer for us, and in that I take refuge.”
