God truly answers prayers, a young man from Syria recently found out.
Meghrik (not his real name) told World Watch Monitor how God answered his prayer and saved his life after he was condemned to die and was about to be executed by the Islamic State (ISIS).
He said he was travelling from Aleppo to Al-Qamishli in the north east of Syria when ISIS militants stopped their bus. They asked him if he is a Christian, but he answered "no." He told them that even though he was raised by Christian parents, he wanted nothing to do with Christianity because he thought it was "ridiculous."
But the ISIS militants doubted his statements and arrested him. He was branded an infidel and sent to Raqqa, where a mock-up courtroom with an ISIS judge was waiting for him. "You're sentenced to death," the judge readily told him.
Meghrik found himself paralysed by fear. "But I am not a Christian, I don't believe what my parents taught me," he argued in vain.
While in his prison cell, Meghrik was told that the only way he can live is if he converts to Islam. He readily agreed, but another prisoner warned him, "Converting is of no use. They kill you anyway."
For the next two days, Meghrik faced more interrogation and torture, including getting 30 lashes. On the fourth day, he was slapped with another accusation.
"We checked your mobile phone. You insulted the Prophet," an extremist told him. "Tomorrow we will kill you. You will go with a car bomb or we will slaughter you in another way."
Despite his initial declaration that he is not a Christian, Meghrik found himself praying to God to save himl. "The moment they threw me in the hole to kill me, I said to God, 'If you exist, please give me a chance to get to know you,'" he said.
Every day during his imprisonment, he prayed to God for his release.
One day, Meghrik was taken to another ISIS judge who told him he would soon be free. "God changed the heart of the judge and he set me free," he said.
Meghrik is thankful that God answered his prayer even though at first he refused to acknowledge His existence.
The World Watch Monitor continuously reports about Christian persecution all over the world, and hopes to uncover the real reason why people are still being subjected to violence and injustice because of their religious beliefs.
