Pastor in Pakistan Forgives Muslim Assailant

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Jesus, Matthew 24:6 NIV

This is the verse that gave a Pastor Zayn courage to face persecution, when a Muslim brutally assaulted him and incited other armed extremists to attack and vandalize his church in Pakistan. When they pointed their guns at the already bleeding pastor, he told them to shoot him if they must, but he would never stop worshipping Jesus.

Government officials, elders and clergymen came together to resolve the issue, and the attacker and his brothers apologized to Pastor Zayn, who hugged him and forgave him. He did not press charges because of Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

With surgery and other medical treatments, he is now on the road to recovery from his injuries.

“Over two decades, I’ve shared the gospel in the world’s harshest corners, and will continue doing so for the rest of my life,” he told Global Christian Relief. “This Sunday and the coming hundreds of Sundays, I’ll stand before my congregation sharing the message of hope and peace. Revelation 2:10 fuels my courage: ‘Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life.’” (See the full story here.)

Pakistan is nearly 98% Muslim and ranks seventh on the list of most dangerous countries for Christians, due to violent Islamic oppression. It is home to 828 people groups still unreached with the gospel of Christ. Last month, thousands of angry Muslims went on a rampage in Punjab Province, burning 19 churches and destroying 89 Christian homes, while damaging another 400. Such incidents are becoming more and more common, due to (usually false) accusations of blasphemy, a crime punishable by death in Pakistan.

Lord, thank You for the way this incident was resolved, and for giving Pastor Zayn courage to forgive. Please break the hearts of his assailants for their sin. Urge them to return and ask how they can be saved. From this terrible attack, bring forth thousands of people turning to faith in You. Let the story of what happened run throughout Pakistan, giving Muslims courage to lay down their hatred and violence to surrender to Christ’s love. In 1 John 4:8 Your Word says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” In this region where most have never heard Your Good News (John 3:16), Muslims fight against Muslims in a reign of hatred and terror. They kill and terrorize in the name of God, because they don’t yet know You as You truly are. As they cry out to You and make their vows, answer them, O Lord, with Truth. Invade their prayers and dreams with visions of You, arms spread wide, nail scars in Your hands, inviting them to repent, believe and be saved. As suicide bombers prepare to sacrifice their lives so they can kill others, rise up, O God, get up in the face of their idols of hatred and death and speak LOVE and LIFE. Give every heart in this region such a hunger for You they will lay down their weapons, defy their traditions that lead to destruction and death, and seek the One who is the Resurrection and the Life. John 10:10, 11:25-26. For You alone are the Way and Truth. John 14:6. Burn within them a hunger for a better Way. Then, as they seek Truth, point the way to Salvation. Show them You are the only answer, the only One who can bring them the meaning and purpose their devotion seeks. Awaken every heart in this region to You, O Lord. Lift the veil from their eyes so they can see You as You truly are. Make a way for all to hear the Good News in their own language, spoken in such a way that their hearts and minds will be opened, chains will break, the scales will fall from their spiritual eyes, and they will at last freely choose You as King. Visit imams in their dreams, giving them the plan of salvation in such a clear way they are stricken with fear of the Lord, and not only turn to You to be saved, but lead entire communities to faith in You. Yes, O God, awaken the peoples of Pakistan to Perfect Love that casts out fear, and transform them forever. 1 John 4.

Don’t miss a day of prayer for the nations to turn to Christ! Sign up to join the Prayer Wall in the space below and get the daily prayer guides in your inbox time for your morning quiet times.

For a free guide to knowing God’s voice, 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening, Dare to Be a Mighty Warrior, and other powerful resources for prayer and fighting for what matters most, visit MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com.

Any proceeds this author receives from the sale of the deep devotional Bible studies and other MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com books mentioned in this post go to shining Christ’s light in the darkness and seeing the nations come to Him.

But please ignore unrelated advertisements WordPress places here. The author has not approved those links and does not receive any money from them.

Thank you for your support! If you’d like to know more about how you can help the Vincents’ ministry or give a donation, please contact Mikaela.