What happened when a pastor prayed aloud for the group about to kill him?

After leaving Islam to follow Jesus, Roman in Central Asia was thrown out of his community. Such were the dangers, he relocated and ended up at a house church, which he now leads. It’s there that the church overcame danger with astonishingly courageous faith, leading to a remarkable series of events.

The house church was gathered together when there was a knock at door. Standing there were 30 masked men with guns and large knives. They were members of a tribe, wanting the property for their fight with another tribe, and they threatened to kill the believers if they didn’t leave within a few days.

The house church was shocked but, with astonishing bravery, they decided to stay – and pray. They were convinced God had given them the house for them to witness to His love in the local community and share the gospel.  

A pastor’s last prayer – or not?

After a few days, there was another knock on the door. Again, the 30 armed men stood before them. Summoned from the home, the believers courageously stood in a circle, held each other’s hands and sang and prayed together. They prayed for their persecutors, for their families, for the village and for the country.

The armed men found the behaviour strange – and they wanted to put an end to it. “We’re not going to kill you all yet,” they said, grabbing the pastor, Roman*. “We are going to kill your pastor first.” They took him to a rubbish dump, where they forced him to dig his own grave. Getting ready to shoot him, they asked if he had any final words.  

“Lord, this is the last prayer of my life. Give me Your wisdom now,” Roman prayed aloud. “Give me one more chance to preach Your gospel. I pray for my persecutors, Lord. Please give them what they need. I also pray for their fathers and mothers, their wives and their children. Bless them. I also pray a blessing for this area and for our village.”

“Why are you praying for us now?” said one of the attackers, to which Roman replied: “You should know that I first want to forgive you for the fact that you are going to shoot me, and that God loves you very much. His love will also remain with you, no matter what.”

It was then that something remarkable happened. Stunned by what they’d seen, the group said, “You are completely crazy. Go to your group and we will come and get you again. You’re not done with us yet.” Such was his readiness to die for Jesus and be with Him in heaven, Roman was upset that he was still alive, but his house church was not – they were so happy to see him!

Ambushed but astonished

But the story doesn’t end there, because something even more surprising was to come. A week later, the armed men returned to the house church, but this time they asked Roman to come out alone. “I first want to say goodbye to my wife and children before you shoot me,” he told the group. “I haven’t given them a hug yet today.” Roman said goodbye to his wife and children and came out.

“We have to tell you something,” said the group’s leader. “A few days ago, we were on our way for a commando mission and suddenly we were ambushed. We were shot at from all sides and we saw no way to flee, and we really thought that our last hour had come. But what happened was very miraculous, because none of us were hit by a bullet. None of us were even injured.

“And then your prayer for us came to mind. Your prayer had made a big impression on us anyway and you even prayed for our protection. And that prayer has really been answered. We come to thank you for what you have done for us, and want you and your group to know that you can now continue to live and come together here in freedom. We will continue to protect you and your group.”

*Name changed for security reasons