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The Word Knocks on Locked Door
Nadie had shut herself in the room by herself. Overwhelmed by despair, she just wanted to hide—perhaps hide from her husband, from her grief, from life itself.
Grief-stricken, Nadie (pictured) threw herself into her studies.
Absorbing Life’s Harsh Blow
Nadie’s childhood had been a happy one. Her parents were loving and worked hard to provide a good life for Nadie and her younger brother. Then Nadie’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though she fought the cancer bravely for three years, it ultimately took her life.
Losing her mother traumatized Nadie. Grief, bitterness and hatred consumed the 16-year-old girl, who had been closer to her mother than to her father. “Since then, I grew up with a bitter and rebellious attitude and also started hating everything and everyone,” Nadie said. Caring for nothing and no one, Nadie threw herself into her studies, pushing away her father and her brother. Perhaps it was easier than facing the pain and the giant hole in her heart.
When Nadie’s father remarried, it ignited further resentment in the teenager’s heart. She distanced herself from her entire family, bearing her burdens alone. Loneliness, anger and grief became her closest companions.
Dark Clouds Accumulate
After Nadie completed her studies, she moved away in search of a job. But was that just an excuse to leave? Was she really just running away from her family, from the memories, from her loneliness and grief? What did she hope to find in her new location? Or had she given up hope altogether?
Nadie and Badru (pictured) fell in love and got married, but despair and loneliness continued to haunt Nadie.
In her new city, Nadie encountered some old school friends, including Aarani, a Christian. Nadie had first heard of Jesus in her school years. Many of her teachers were Christians, and she knew this Jesus was their God. But she knew very little of Him.
Aarani knew Nadie’s sad story. Perhaps she perceived the traces of Nadie’s grief and loneliness. She reached out to Nadie, telling her Bible stories and sharing Christ’s love. Nadie listened, but she didn’t fully grasp her meaning. Perhaps Nadie only listened as a courtesy, to be polite. But the words became seeds, and those seeds began to take root.
Meanwhile, Nadie fell in love with a Christian man named Badru. Since they were from different religions, Nadie expected opposition when she told her father the two wanted to marry. But somehow he agreed, and the two were married.
Their marriage, however, was a tumultuous one. Nadie often kept her feelings to herself and failed to communicate well with Badru. Arguments filled their home, and Nadie stubbornly insisted on her way.
“My poor husband would sit outside the locked door and beg me to come out and eat something.”
Nadie picked up a Bible similar to this one and read Matthew 7:7.
A Hand of Hope
One day, Nadie was alone in a locked room when she picked up a Bible. What was that verse Aarani would often read to her? Matthew 7:7. Nadie found the verse and read, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Was it really true? Would she find answers if she asked this Jesus? Would she find the peace she sought?
Leaning against the wall behind her, Nadie could only hope it was true. She was desperate. Her voice shook as she whispered, “Lord Jesus, if you are real, please tell me if I matter to you and if I am valuable to You.”
Before she could complete the request, Nadie felt a touch on her left shoulder. Perhaps she glanced up, confused. She was still alone. The room was still locked. Yet she felt no fear.
“Jesus, I know it is You,” Nadie responded.
Later, Nadie recalled, “Suddenly, some sort of power sucked up all my burdens and heaviness. I had never experienced such a supernatural occurrence in my life before. I was filled with tears of joy and laughter, and I was hungry as well. At that point, I had not eaten for three days. I rushed to the kitchen, gave thanks to Jesus, and ate food with tears of joy.”
Nadie couldn’t wait to tell Badru about her experience when he returned home. They must have rejoiced together in wonder. Nadie continued reading the Bible, and she began seeking the Lord for His guidance in her life, asking that He fulfill His purposes through her. Nadie gained clarity on her past mistakes, and she reconciled with her family. As their relationships were restored, Nadie’s family members saw the change in her.
“He filled me with His love. He has taught me the importance of it. His love is incomparable, and there is nothing equal to it. . .”
As Nadie’s relationship with Christ grew, she realized what she had been missing for so long: “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, who has given me the one thing I was so desperate for—that was love,” says Nadie. “He filled me with His love. He has taught me the importance of it. His love is incomparable, and there is nothing equal to it. Sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others is the greatest joy for me today. I give all praise and honor to Jesus my Lord. I [have] … decided to follow Him all the days of my life.”
Nadie (pictured far left) is now growing in her faith as an active part of a local body of believers.
Through Badru’s aunt Joy, a GFA missionary, Nadie is being discipled. She is learning more from the Bible and is active in a local fellowship of believers. Nadie continues to lean on Matthew 7:7, a verse that was instrumental in drawing her to Christ.
“This verse is extremely important to me as it made me realize who is Jesus and how eagerly He wants a relationship with us,” Nadie said.
Share the Power of God’s Word
Nadie’s story testifies of the power of God’s Word. If Aarani, as a believer, hadn’t had a Bible, she might not have been able to share Matthew 7:7 with Nadie. If Nadie hadn’t had access to a Bible, she wouldn’t have been able to turn to it in her hour of need. Who knows how differently Nadie’s story would have ended? She could still be lost in darkness and despair. She might have given up hope and ended her own life. Instead, God used His living Word to bring new life to Nadie—a life full of freedom, joy and peace.
You can help put God’s living Word, with the power to transform lives, into people’s hands. He has promised His Word will not return void (see Isaiah 55:11).