‘God Has Left Me for a Purpose’: A Nigerian Widow Chooses Healing After Unthinkable Loss
After an attack took her husband and three sons, Asabe found trauma care, fellowship and a difficult path toward forgiveness
The short answer
Asabe, a Christian widow from Nigeria's Plateau State, says biblical trauma care, Scripture and a fellowship of widows are helping her move through grief and forgiveness after a 2025 attack killed her husband and three sons.
Asabe's testimony should not be reduced to an inspiring ending. It begins with violence, grief and the names of people she loved.
Open Doors reports that armed militants attacked her community in Nigeria's Plateau State on April 14, 2025. Her husband and three sons were killed. Asabe, her daughter and her mother-in-law survived. The physical wounds were severe; the wounds carried inside the family were harder to measure.
Care That Makes Room for Grief
Months after the attack, local Open Doors partners invited Asabe into a five-day, biblically grounded trauma-care program. The care did not erase what happened. It helped her name grief, understand trauma and begin the hard work of living without surrendering to bitterness.
Church fellowship and Scripture became anchors. Asabe returned to the opening chapters of Job and joined a community of widows who pray, worship and encourage one another. Her young daughter also became a source of courage and a reminder that evil will not have the final word.
Purpose After Loss
Asabe now says that God has left her alive for a purpose and asks Him to help her fulfil it. That is not denial. It is faith speaking from inside unresolved pain.
The global Church must hear both parts of her story: the scale of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria, and the indispensable work of local believers who provide trauma care after cameras leave. Prayer is essential. So are trained counsellors, safe communities, practical provision for widows and the patient rebuilding of homes and livelihoods.
Christian hope does not minimize trauma; it creates room for truth, grief, skilled care, forgiveness and a future that violence cannot own.
Biblical Perspective
The Psalms refuse to hide anguish, and the New Testament commands believers to carry one another's burdens. Forgiveness is not pretending evil was small. It is surrendering vengeance to God while the Church protects, comforts and rebuilds with those who suffer.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
— Psalm 147:3 (NIV)
Pray With Us
God of all comfort, hold Asabe, her daughter and every family living with the wounds of violence. Strengthen local churches and trauma-care workers. Bring protection and justice to Plateau State. Give widows provision, safe community and courage for each new day. Amen.
Declarations to Speak
- ›Violence will not have the final word over God's children.
- ›The brokenhearted will be met with truth, care and community.
- ›Widows and children in Nigeria will not be forgotten.
- ›The Church will carry one another's burdens with patient love.
Take Action
- 1Pray for Asabe and for churches serving survivors across Plateau State.
- 2Learn from trauma-informed Christian ministries before trying to counsel someone through severe loss.
- 3Support trusted organizations providing long-term care and practical aid to persecuted believers.
- 4Share the source report in a way that honours the family's dignity and avoids graphic sensationalism.
"Asabe's story is not a slogan. It is a call to pray, protect, provide trauma care and stand with Nigeria's persecuted Church."
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"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." — Proverbs 18:21
Your Prayers & Words Have Power
Every time you pray over a story and speak life, you are partnering with Heaven to see God's Kingdom come on earth. When believers around the world agree in prayer, mountains move. Keep praying over these matters — your consistency in intercession is changing the world.
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." — James 5:16
Prayer Is Powerful — So Is Action.
You've prayed. Now take it further. Join or start an outreach group in your area and take the love of Jesus to the streets. Every act of love, every meal shared, every prayer prayed in person is the Kingdom advancing in your community.
"Faith without works is dead." — James 2:26
Questions people are asking
What happened to Asabe in Nigeria?
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An April 2025 attack in Plateau State killed Asabe's husband and three sons; she, her daughter and her mother-in-law survived.
What helped Asabe begin to heal?
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She describes strength through Scripture, church fellowship, a widows' group and a five-day biblically based trauma-care program.
How can churches help survivors of persecution?
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Churches can combine prayer with trained trauma care, safe community, advocacy and long-term practical support.
Sources & further reading
- 1.‘God has left me for a purpose’: Trauma and healing in NigeriaOpen Doors US
- 2.2026 World Watch ListOpen Doors US
About the Author
Daniel Ziedins
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Daniel Ziedins is the founder and editor-in-chief of Thy Kingdom News. A passionate believer with a heart for revival, missions, and seeing God's Kingdom advance across the earth, Daniel created this platform to report on what God is doing in the nations — the stories the mainstream media won't tell. He is also the creator of LoveOnTheWorldMap.com, a global initiative to map acts of God's love worldwide. Daniel believes that every testimony, every revival report, and every prayer answered is evidence that the Kingdom of God is here and advancing.
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"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
Psalm 147:3 (NIV)
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