Update on Ravi Zacharias’ health: ‘The time for him to be with the Lord … is drawing near’
World-renowned apologist Ravi Zacharias, whose family recently announced that no other treatment is available for his advanced stage of cancer, still smiles and nods when messages of encouragement are read out to him, but “it appears that the time for him to be with the Lord he loved to serve is drawing near,” said Michael Ramsden, president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
Zacharias, who has been battling a rare form of bone cancer since March, continues to remain at home where he’s surrounded by close family, all of whom are thankful for all the messages and encouragement they are receiving, Ramsden said in a video update on the minister’s health, posted on Facebook Saturday.
“They actually read those messages out to him and he receives them with joy. Even though he’s now struggling to speak, he may either just simply smile or nod in acknowledgment and also in gratitude,” he added.
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On Friday, the RZIM president said in another update that “only our Lord knows how much time Ravi-ji has.”
“But it appears the time for him to be with the Lord he loved to serve is drawing near.”
He said, “We continue to seek strength in the Lord in these days. As Lamentations says, ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’”
Ramsden also said that Zacharias shared with him and his wife, Anne, on Thursday that “he wanted to send on to you his deepest love and sincerest thanks. Although he can only speak in a whisper, his passion for Jesus Christ, for the Gospel, and for the heart and vision of our team is unwavering.
“If anything, there were moments when you could only say that his passion burns even brighter. His message to us in many ways was very straightforward: Keep following Christ and keep preaching the Gospel. This we will keep on doing, it is the reason why RZIM exists.”
Zacharias was recently informed by doctors that there’s nothing more they can do.
On May 8, Zacharias’ eldest daughter, Sarah Davis, who is also CEO of RZIM, announced, “We have just learned that while the tumor in my dad’s sacrum has been responding to the chemotherapy, the area where the cancer metastasized has actually worsened. His oncologist informed us that this cancer is very rare in its aggression and that no options for further treatment remain. Medically speaking, they have done all they are able.”
The sacrum is a shield-shaped bony structure located at the base of the lumbar vertebrae and is connected to the pelvis.
Zacharias also wrote about his health on Facebook last Wednesday.
“In the past few days, we have been meeting with specialists to determine the next course of action. They will wait until I am fully healed from the back surgery, and in 4-5 weeks, will begin treatment to shrink the tumor. I will not plan to resume speaking at least until the summer,” he said.
“We are trusting the Lord in this, and we believe we have already seen evidence of His hand. For example, the tumor did not show up on any previous scans and was only discovered by my surgeon identifying it during surgery. We received literally thousands of messages from people all over the world saying you were praying. I have every belief God directed and prompted my surgeon to his discovery of this tumor. Margie and I and our family are so grateful for your continued prayers for the journey that lies ahead.”
