ALPHARETTA, GA – Ravi Zacharias is one of the greatest Christian apologists of our generation. In the Fall of 2019, he stepped down from his roles as CEO and president of RZIM, the ministry he founded in 1984. He now holds the position of chairman of the board.

When RZIM announced the move, Zacharias explained that he was in good health and would “continue to honor my calling and serve my Lord as a speaker and writer.”

Despite his generally good health, Dr. Zacharias has suffered chronic back pain following surgery 18 years ago. Earlier this year, Ravi requested prayer on the RZIM website because the results of a CAT scan and an MRI left his doctors with “with no option but to go into a surgery immediately.”

The February 20^th surgery required the removal of two screws from the previous surgery that had become loose and were no longer anchoring his fractured sacrum to his pelvis.

The surgery was successful. However, Ravi has revealed that “since the surgery, I have faced very severe pain, so intense in the night, especially, that I have been unable to sleep.” He assumed that the pain was part of expected postoperative recovery.

It was not.

During the surgery, his doctors discovered a tumor in his broken sacrum. A biopsy has proven the tumor to be a malignant sarcoma.

The Mayo Clinic describes a sarcoma as a “broad group of cancers that begin in the bones and in the soft tissues. Soft tissue sarcoma forms in the tissues that connect, support and surround other body structures. This includes muscle, fat, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and the lining of your joints. There are more than 70 types of sarcoma. Treatment for sarcoma varies depending on sarcoma type, location and other factors.”

Interestingly, the sarcoma failed to appear in either the CAT scan or the MRI. It required the surgeon’s eyes to detect it during the operation. Zacharias once again evidenced his deeply-rooted faith, expressing that he has “every belief God directed and prompted my surgeon to his discovery of this tumor.”

Ravi and his wife, Margie, have begun meeting with specialists to analyze the new-found condition and to determine the best course of action. Meanwhile, Ravi and the rest of us will have four to five weeks to pray before he enters a treatment regimen.

Please, do pray for Ravi, Margie, and RZIM. As anyone who knows him would expect, Ravi declared that “We are trusting the Lord for His purpose.”

Ravi Zacharias may have cancer, but cancer does not have Ravi.

To read more news on Ravi Zacharias on Missions Box, go here.