Christian author and apologist Nabeel Qureshi invited his wife Michelle to speak on his video blog to share her thoughts about what her husband and family have been going through.
Earlier this month, Qureshi announced the sad news that, according to his scan results, the radiation didn't work and the cancer has spread to his chest.
Last week, he asked his wife to join him on his vlog to let the viewers "hear a little bit of Michelle's heart" because, as he explained, he's not the only one going through the events of the past months; she was also going through it with him.
As Michelle opened up about the experience, she admitted that one of the toughest times for her was when her husband went through radiation.
"The radiation, I think, has been one of the toughest things for me, just seeing Nabeel more laid out, hurting, having such a hard time eating, and having to continue life and continue taking care of Ayah and everything," she said.
Yet, on those very difficult times, and even with the news that the cancer has spread, Michelle said God has enabled her to have an "overwhelming peace," and it's something she has never felt before.
"Since September, I have had this just overwhelming peace about this whole situation, a peace that means this is going to lead to healing," she said, adding that she had felt the peace even before she and her husband started to receive prophetic words about healing. "So I believe it's coming from the Holy Spirit."
"When we went through that really rough time with radiation ... nothing has shaken my hope because that peace is there," she said.
Qureshi affirmed his wife's words and praised her for being "a tremendous source of encouragement," for always believing that he would come through because God has great plans for him.
"in this past year, for me to have her be the solid pillar of support and encouragement has been such a great blessing," Qureshi said. He encouraged husbands and wives "to love one another tremendously and to be a source of hope when the other one's faltering."
Michelle also talked about the impact of Scripture on her life for the past nine months. She said verses she had memorized when she was a child suddenly became "alive in totally new ways."
In October last year, Michelle suffered a miscarriage. The couple was already going through a season of sadness and uncertainty because of Qureshi's condition, and the miscarriage made the situation even more difficult.
According to Michelle, the Bible passage that she clung to at the time was Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
At first, she thought, "Lean not on your own understanding-what does that actually look like?" But when she meditated on the verse, she realized that while humans have earthly eyes to see, "God has a much bigger picture in mind."
"Some people refer to it as a tapestry that's being woven. We're just one little thread in this tapestry that's so much bigger than just our little lives," she said.
Michelle said one of the things that have really helped her and her husband these past months is the new community they found in Houston. She said about seven people showed up at their doorstep and offered to pray for them.
"When they walked in the door and started praying for us, we saw immense faith, we saw hope, we saw joy," Michelle said. This small community of believers helped her and Qureshi to "not dwell on the somber aspects of what we're going through" and to fix their eyes on Jesus.
"The wind and the waves still know His name," she said. "When you fix your eyes on Jesus and who He is, that He's faithful, that He's good, that He's a Father, that He provides joy and peace despite anything else you're going through ... That's the type of dynamic that we have in this group, and they have stuck with us."
They meet every week and pray for each other, bring food and sometimes help take care of their daughter Ayah. Qureshi revealed the group had been fasting and praying for them.
"Even when we were struggling with having the strength to keep fighting, these people are fighting for us, fighting alongside us, and so there's so much encouragement," Michelle said. "There's so much strength and so much hope that's found in the body of Christ that really becomes a family."
She encouraged other women, whatever situation they may be in, to look for a community of believers to surround them. She also told them to find women who can mentor them.
"You cannot walk this alone," she said.
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