Born to Die, Named for Life: Mahia’s Encounter With the Living Christ

 

 

She was never supposed to be here at all. From her mother's womb, death had marked her—the doctors had given her no chance, no hope of survival. Yet God had a different plan. Against all medical odds, she was born alive. And her parents, perhaps understanding something prophetic, named her "Mahia," which means "life" in Arabic. It was as if they knew that this child, born when she should have been stillborn, carried within her a testimony to the One who is Life itself. 

 

For years, Mahia carried a weight that no amount of prayer could lift. She was widowed at the age of 28 with three children and a heart full of unresolved grief. Then she lost a seven-year-old child. Difficult in-laws made her widowhood even harder to bear.

 

The life she had been named for seemed impossibly distant when her years had taught her to merely exist in suffering rather than live in hope. For decades, Mahia lived as if that name was a cruel irony. She existed, but she did not truly live. She survived, but she did not thrive. Mahia’s life was full of physical ailment and spiritual darkness—a searching, aching emptiness that no earthly comfort could fill.

 

 

Her son became a believer first. As she watched him transform—his newfound peace, his calm demeanor, his unwavering faith—something stirred within her. Yet she resisted. For four years, she remained caught between belief and doubt, witnessing the change in him but unable to take that same step into faith. She would later come to understand that this resistance was not merely her own hesitation. Satan had gotten his hold on her, and he was not willing to let go. The enemy did not want her to embrace the very name God had given her—he did not want her to truly live.

 

A few years later, Mahia had reached her breaking point. Exhaustion had consumed her on every level—spiritually, psychologically, physically. She was bone-weary, her spirit depleted, her soul crying out for relief she couldn't name.

 

 

A few months later, her son came to her room and asked to pray for her. After he finished, he left her alone in the darkness of her room. Mahia was tossing, turning, and wrestling against her usual insomnia. In that silence, something stirred, and Mahia’s anguish floated to the surface.

 

Unable to sleep, wracked with physical pain and emotional torment, Mahia found herself speaking to her son's God. The words tumbled out of her desperate heart: "Who are you? Why have you done this to my son? Are you real? If you are the true God, show yourself to me."

 

She couldn't believe He would answer. She couldn't imagine it was possible. But from the depths of her suffering, she asked anyway: "Deliver me like you did him. Save me from these doubts. Save me from this psychological torment. Reveal yourself to me."

 

And then she saw it—light filling her room where darkness had been. It was a radiant presence; she was certain she had encountered Christ Himself, standing before her in majesty and glory. The very air changed; the scent in the room transformed. In that moment, everything she had been—every doubt, every fear, every ounce of her old self—was taken away.

 

Her tears dried. Her pain vanished. The insomnia that had plagued her evaporated.

 

Trembling and overwhelmed, Mahia woke her son. Through tears of joy, she told him, "Lord Jesus came to me. He visited me. I am changed. He is the true God."

 

That night, for the first time in years, Mahia slept peacefully until morning. She had encountered the living Christ, and she would never be the same.

 

 

Mahia's newfound faith would not go unopposed. The enemy who had held her in bondage for years—the very Satan who had tried to prevent her from living up to her name—was not about to release his grip without a fierce and desperate fight.

 

Even as the Holy Spirit filled her, darkness resisted violently. She says that an evil spirit attempted to distort her understanding of her own salvation, whispering twisted instructions designed to confuse and lead her astray. During prayer, part of her mind battled against belief, her lips unable to form the words her soul burned to speak. Yet in the depths of her being, where only God could see, she cried out in faith: "Lord, save me. Lord, strengthen me."

 

The following night, that evil spirit took a physical form and appeared to her, voice harsh and threatening, the wicked intent unmistakable. It pressed closer.

 

But Mahia was no longer alone. The peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding flooded through her, filling every trembling part of her being. She spoke with steady conviction: "I am not afraid. I am not afraid of the police. I am not afraid of you."

 

The beating came, physical and real, yet somehow it felt weak—as if the evil itself was weakened by her unshakeable faith. When it ended, the demon returned with a new threat, its voice dripping with venom: "Today, I beat you a little. The next time, I will beat you harder. Next time, I will make you die."

 

But Mahia, the woman who was supposed to have been stillborn, the woman God had named "Life" despite all medical prognosis, stood absolutely firm. She declared her allegiance not to fear, not to the enemy, but to her Savior and asked her son to join her in prayer. The evil spirit declared defeat, stating it was not up to such power: “When one is praying, I can manage to confront, but I can never conquer when these two are praying.”  The spirit disappeared for good.

 

Under the weight of spiritual warfare, Mahia felt God’s strength. She remembered God's unshakeable promises: "I am next to you. The Lord is good." In that exchange, the new believer became the teacher, the suffering widow became the intercessor, and the broken mother became the voice of faith. She taught her son, who had known Jesus for years before she converted, what she had learned in her own encounter with Christ—that God is not distant and unreachable, but that He came to us in our own image to save us.

 

 

Reflecting on her journey, Mahia could see God's hand woven through every thread of her life. "My life is a miracle," she declared. "From my mother's womb, I was supposed to be dead, dying, but God saved me."

 

In the light of her salvation, all those losses took on new meaning. She had been baptized into new life, and with faith firmly rooted in Christ, she could testify with genuine gratitude: "We thank God for everything."

 

Before her encounter, Mahia had asked the Lord for something profound: "I want to testify to my family and everyone else." And God's answer echoed through her soul: "You will, but now we wait and act wisely. I am never late. I will keep my promise to you."

 

 

Now Mahia lives in the reality of that promise. In a world where faith brings persecution and danger, where following Christ can cost everything, she stands firm—no longer afraid, no longer alone, no longer dying.

 

Her story is a testament to a God who does not remain distant and untouchable. He is a God who sees our suffering, who meets us in our darkest moments, who comes to us and saves us to the uttermost. He is a God who keeps His promises, even to those the world has forgotten.

 

Mahia's encounter was real. Her transformation was real. And the Christ she met that night in the darkness continues to be the true God—yesterday, today, and forever.

 

Mahia is not alone in her battle. Because of your generosity, our Field Ministers offered not only prayers but also practical support for her son to open his own tailoring business through our Enduring Livelihood Ministry. She also had an opportunity to attend an Enduring Faith Conference in Iraq, where she bravely shared her testimony! 

 

 

Because of you, our Field Ministers are there for persecuted believers like Mahia who long to know they are not forgotten, not abandoned in their darkest hours. They have brothers and sisters around the world standing watch, interceding, believing that their faith would hold. 

 

Today, will you minister to persecuted Christians like Mahia, and so many others? There are two ways:

 

1. Sign up to pray. By joining our Prayer Network, you’ll get real-time prayer requests in your inbox every Saturday.

 

2. Give to help a persecuted Christian. Our ministry is made possible because people like you sacrificially give to help persecuted Christians like Mahia. Will you ask what the Lord might have you give today?