In 2016, Marilyn Hickey is one of the only people in the history of the world to have preached to a standing audience of more than ONE MILLION people!
Remarkably, the venue was in heavily Muslim Karachi, Pakistan. Marilyn was recently honored by the President of Pakistan and the Pakistan Grand Imam to receive the International Lifetime Peace Award.
But what might be riskier than a Christian speaking to one million Muslims? A tour scheduled for China this spring, at ground zero of the Coronavirus outbreak!
Marilyn Hickey teaches people of the world how they should face the Coronavirus in faith, not fear, ultimately, finding hope and healing in the midst of struggle.
Marilyn Hickey is a force to be reckoned with. At age 88, this ground-breaking minister and humanitarian continues to travel the globe to 137 countries in her quest to build bridges with all people and cultures. We welcome, Marilyn Hickey.
Q&A:
- Marilyn, in your autobiography you mention that China is one of your favorite countries, and that you have actually been there more frequently than any other country. You have another trip to China scheduled for next year. Do you not have any fears about going there when it is ground zero for the Coronavirus?
I do not want to live or work by fear. When God opens a door for me to walk through, whether it is for me personally or for ministry, I believe that faith is greater than fear. I have had to believe that every time I have entered a new country with new beliefs, customs and different circumstances. Each time it has been a divine appointment!
When I was eleven years old this became my way of following my destiny. I am now 88 years old and it has proved to be a wonderful tool that God has given me for every situation I find myself in. Who knows what might show up, but I do not want to live a life of fear?
Several years ago, I had a trip scheduled for China and while the plans were being arranged, SARS broke out and the news I heard threatened this very concept of walking by faith instead of fear. I do not choose to be foolish and will do what I need to do with the leading of the Holy Spirit. When all the facts were considered, I chose to go. Not one of our people got sick, the meetings were successful, and people’s lives were transformed! Walking by faith wins every time over fear!
John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
- If you could be with the Chinese people right now, who I’m sure are quite fearful in the face of such an epidemic, what words of comfort would you offer them?
Psalm 91:10 contains a wonderful promise for those who will claim it: “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” This psalm contains a treasure of promises, and most of them can be applied to healing. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, but we must meet His conditions stated in verse 1: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Our God is merciful and compassionate. Illness, for any reason, does not please Him. He delights in mercy, and His compassion for us causes Him to take action. Compassion moved Jesus to heal the sick and deliver those who were oppressed. That healing power is available to each of us every day, regardless of where we live or who we are. We must take God at His word and step out in faith to receive all that He has provided for us.
- You are no stranger to illness yourself, you wrote in your book, “It’s Not Over Until You Win,” about how you contracted a parasite during a trip overseas, and how that ended up bringing about healing from sexual abuse as a little girl. How does contracting a parasite heal emotional trauma?
Unknown to anyone at the time, my uncle began sexually molesting me when I was 11 years old. I didn’t know the facts of life or really understand what he was doing at the time. I only knew that I didn’t like it. It confused me because when he wasn’t sexually abusing me, he was very nice to me. In fact, he was nice to everyone and everyone seemed to love him. His popularity only added to my turmoil. After each incident of abuse, I felt ashamed and guilty, and I blamed myself for what was happening. Because he was so well-liked by everyone, I felt that the abuse had to be my fault. I thought, “If you weren’t doing something wrong, this wouldn’t be happening.” Shortly after I turned 12, the abuse suddenly stopped but I plunged into a deep depression and I felt like God had abandoned me. I didn’t really deal with the situation, but my emotional distress began to get better when I was in the 7th grade and started excelling academically.
I completely blocked all the memories of the sexual abuse. In fact, I was unaware of the devastating ways it had affected me until over 60 years after the abuse. When I was in my 70s, I had become infected with parasites during a ministry time in Kazakhstan. I became very ill, lost over 20 pounds, and became very weak. My situation seemed hopeless and I didn’t want to live.
During that time, I had some friends that came to my house to pray for me. During our time of prayer, a light bulb turned on in my brain and I suddenly remember the abuse that had been hidden for decades. That night, God spoke to me and said, “You thought I abandoned you, but I was there the whole time.” He showed me how he had stopped the abuse and taken me out of the situation. After I received that Word from the Lord, I cried for three days, my heart was healed, and joy returned. I was so happy to be alive!
If you are being sexually abused, know that it is not your fault. Find someone you can trust and tell them what is happening. Know that God loves you and that he can provide a way out for you and heal your heart.
- You have been an active participant in many of the most world-changing spiritual events of the past sixty years, as well as having the daily television program, Today with Marilyn and Sarah, broadcast in nearly 200 countries. Share some highlights of your ministry that come to mind over your past six decades in ministry.
One major highlight has been the “open doors to the nations” God has given me. In 1973 God called me to “cover the earth with His Word”. I didn’t imagine He’d open such amazing doors sending me to so many countries.
Another amazing thing God blessed me to be a part of is the increase in the reach of Christian television. The same year that God called me cover the earth with God’s Word, the Trinity Broadcast Network was started. They asked me to be one of their TBN teachers. Monthly, I flew to California to tape my weekly programs. After serving as a TBN teacher for years, I started taping my own program. More than 45 years later, the daily Bible teaching program that I produce with my daughter, Sarah, Today with Marilyn and Sarah, has the potential to reach over 2.5 billion people every weekday.
An interesting opportunity for humanitarian outreach came to us in the early 1990s, when I spoke at a conference in Honduras. I helped a woman who was supplying food to the Contra army, which was fighting against the communist-oriented Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The Contra army was living in the jungle with their wives and children, and the women had only the clothes on their backs and the children didn’t even have diapers. As we drove deep into the jungle I saw one army on one side of the road and another army on the other side – on one side were the Contras and on the other side were the Sandinistas. We were dodging Sandinista bullets to get to the women. I was able to speak to them from the Bible and everyone received a Bible and clothing and diapers. The love and help and Word of God we sowed into that country produced a harvest so that years later when I was invited to speak in Honduras there were tens of thousands of people who came out for my meetings.
A trip into the Gaza Strip had been on my heart for years. I wanted very much to visit there to see how I could help the people in that area and tell them about the love of Jesus. In 2009 I traveled to Israel. I had completed the necessary paperwork to be permitted to enter the demilitarized zone which led into Gaza. There were many delays, and they would not allow me in with my traveling companions. Here I was, an almost 80-year-old woman, walking unaccompanied down the mile-long, dust-covered road which was ringed by barbed wire and dotted by checkpoints with heavily armed soldiers. Finally, I was allowed into Gaza to meet with a Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox Minister, and a Christian Minister. We were able to discuss the needs in Gaza and how we could help the people.
Another highlight was ministering to hundreds of imams who showed me such favor and even called me “Mom.” It was the trip to the Gaza Strip which paved the way for me to set up a special dinner for the local imams in Dearborn, Michigan. Initially they were reluctant to attend because I am a Christian woman. But when they realized that I had been in Gaza, not just heard about it or looked at pictures of it, they said, “She must really love Muslims!” That short trip we took to Gaza opened their hearts in ways that none of my healing meetings ever could.
- Over the years, others have followed your lead in ministry, overcoming gender and ethnic obstacles including two who have endorsed your book, Joyce Meyer and T.D. Jakes as well as celebrities like sportscaster and journalist J.B. Brown. How do you feel about this?
I feel deeply honored because key people who are known around the world have partnered with me and encouraged me with such powerful and inspiring words. To me this a great honor.
- Where may we learn more about your work or pick up a copy of your book?
It is available on my ministry website- MarilynandSarah.org or on Amazon.
NOTE: Copies It’s Not Over Until You Win,” are available upon request.
“It was a very dangerous time in a very dangerous nation. A man with a gun was stationed outside the door of my hotel room 24/7 for protection because 32 suicide bombers had taken an oath to blow up the stadium with thousands of people, my entire team, and me in it…” —Hickey, Marilyn. It’s Not Over Until You Win. 2019)
Marilyn Hickey Ministries is a non-profit humanitarian organization in Denver
