The guards began making comments about my final meal, about whether I wanted to write any last letters.

The reality of my impending death crush it over me with new intensity.

That night, alone in my cell.

With only 72 hours left to live, I reached the lowest point of my entire existence.

I fell to my knees on the cold concrete floor and cried out in desperation, “Jesus, if you’re real, if you truly care about me, I need you now more than I’ve ever needed anything.

I’m about to die for believing in you, and I need to know that you’re worth it.

” In that moment of complete despair, I was about to discover that my story was just beginning.

September 21st, 2019.

Around 2:00 in the morning, I was lying on my thin mattress, staring at the ceiling of my cell.

Sleep had become impossible as my execution date approached.

My mind raced with thoughts of death, of eternity, of whether I had made the right choice.

The silence in the prison was complete except for the occasional footsteps of guards making their rounds.

I had exactly 46 hours left to leave.

I was praying desperately, begging Jesus to give me courage for what was coming when something extraordinary began to happen.

The temperature in my cell, which had been uncomfortably cold, suddenly became perfectly warm and comfortable.

At first, I thought uh the heating system had been turned on.

But then I noticed something that made my heart stop.

A soft golden light was beginning to fill my cell.

This was not the harsh fluorescent lighting from the hallway or the beam from a guard’s flashlight.

This light seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once, growing steadily brighter until my entire cell was illuminated with the most beautiful radiance I had ever seen.

The light was warm and alive, pulsing gently like heartbeat.

I sat up on my mattress, my entire body trembling with a mixture of fear and wonder.

Then I saw him in the corner of my cell.

A figure began to materialize within the golden light.

He was tall and wearing flowing white robes that seemed to be made of the light itself.

His hair was long and dark, his beard neatly trimmed, and his skin had uh the warm olive tone of Middle Eastern man, but it was his eyes that captured me completely.

They were eyes filled with infinite love, infinite compassion and infinite understanding.

There was no condemnation in those eyes.

No disappointment, only pure love for me.

His hands were visible and I could clearly see the scars from nails that had pierced his palms.

His feet bare beneath his robes also bore the marks of crucifixion.

I knew immediately who this was.

This was Jesus Christ, the son of God, standing in my death row prison cell.

He spoke to me in perfect Arabic.

His voice carrying an authority and gentleness that penetrated to the deepest parts of my soul.

Ahmed, he said, and hearing my name spoken with such love nearly overwhelmed me.

Do not be afraid.

I am with you.

I fell to my knees on the concrete floor, tears streaming down my face.

The presence of Jesus was more real, more tangible than anything I had ever experienced in my physical life.

I could feel his love washing over me like waves, drowning out every fear, every doubt, every moment of despair I had endured over the past months.

My Lord,” I whispered, barely able to speak through my tears.

“I am so afraid.

I do not know if I am strong enough to die for you.

” Jesus stepped closer to me, and I could feel the warmth radiating from his presence.

“Your suffering has not been in vain,” he said, his voice filled with tenderness.

“I have heard every prayer you have whispered in this cell.

I have seen every tear you have shed.

I have been with you through every moment of darkness.

He knelt down beside me.

And when he placed his scarred hand on my shoulder, peace flooded through my entire being.

It was not just the absence of fear, but the presence of perfect peace that transcended any earthly understanding.

For the first time in months, my mind became completely still.

I have a plan for your life that you cannot yet see.

Jesus continued, “Trust me completely.

Your story is not ending tomorrow.

It is just beginning.

I will make a way where there seems to be no way.

” The conversation lasted exactly 1 hour, though it felt like both an instant and an eternity.

Jesus spoke to me about my family, assuring me that he loved them deeply and that my witness would plant seeds in their hearts that would grow in time.

He told me about the ministry he was preparing for me, about the people around the world who would hear my testimony and find hope in their own dark circumstances.

He showed me glimpses of my future that seemed impossible from my current situation.

I saw myself standing before crowds of people sharing the story of his miraculous intervention.

I saw letters from persecuted Christians around the world who had been encouraged by my testimony.

I saw myself free married to a godly woman leading others to faith in Christ.

Remember Jesus said as the vision began to fade, nothing is impossible with God, tell the world what you have seen and heard.

Let them know that I am still performing miracles for those who believe in me.

As his presence began to withdraw, the golden light slowly dimmed.

But the peace he had given me remained.

The fear that had consumed me for months was completely gone.

replaced by an unshakable confidence in God’s perfect plan.

My physical circumstances had not changed.

I was still a condemned prisoner facing execution in 36 hours.

But everything else had been transformed.

The guards who brought my breakfast that morning noticed the change immediately.

Instead of the terrified, broken man they had been tormenting for months, they found me singing hymns and praising God, my countenance had been completely transformed.

I went from being a terrified prisoner to a confident witness for Jesus Christ.

I knew with absolute certainty that God was about to perform a miracle that would demonstrate his power to an entire nation.

Jesus had kept every promise he had ever made, and he was about to keep this one, too.

September 22nd, 2019, at exactly 3:47 in the afternoon, 20 hours and 13 minutes before my scheduled execution, I heard the sound of keys jungling outside my cell door.

This was unusual because meal times had already passed and exercise periods were not scheduled for condemned prisoners.

I was sitting on my mattress reading from memory the scripture verses I had memorized when warden al- Mahmood himself appeared at my cell door with an expression I had never seen before.

His face showed confusion, perhaps even bewilderment, as he unlocked my cell door with hands that seemed to be trembling slightly.

Behind him stood two guards and a man in an expensive suit whom I did not recognize.

The warden entered my cell and looked at me with an expression that mixed disbelief with something approaching or Ahmed, he said, his voice lacking its usual authority.

You are to be released immediately.

The words hit me like a physical blow.

released 20 hours before my execution.

I stared at him in complete shock, unable to process what I was hearing.

This was impossible.

In Saudi Arabia, death sentences for apostasy are never commuted.

There are no lastm minute reprieves, no appeals processes, no presidential pardons.

Once the sentence is pronounced, it is carried out without exception.

The man in the expensive suit stepped forward and uh introduced himself as a representative from the American embassy.

He explained rapidly that international human rights organizations had mounted an unprecedented pressure campaign on the Saudi government.

The European Union had threatened economic sanctions.

The United Nations had issued formal condemnations.

Most surprisingly, several influential American business leaders had privately pressured the Saudi royal family to reconsider my case.

What happened next still seems like a dream to me.

Within 30 minutes, I was changed out of my prison uniform and into civilian clothes.

My few personal belongings were returned to me, including the small Arabic New Testament that had started this entire ordeal.

A series of documents were placed before me to sign, including an agreement that I would immediately leave Saudi Arabia and never return.

The embassy representative explained that a special flight had been arranged.

I would be flown directly to the United States where I had been granted political asylum as a refugee fleeing religious persecution.

Everything had been coordinated at the highest levels of government.

I was going from death row to freedom in a matter of hours.

As I walked out of Alher prison, the same gates that I had expected to leave only as a dead body, I could barely comprehend what was happening.

The late afternoon sun felt warm on my face for the first time in 6 months.

The air smelled sweet and fresh compared to the stale atmosphere of my cell.

Every sensation seemed heightened, as if I was experiencing the world with completely new senses.

Jesus had kept his promise exactly as he had given it.

He had made a way where there seemed to be no way.

The flight to the United States was the longest 6 hours of my life.

I sat in that airplane seat 30,000 ft above the earth, marveling at the miracle that had just taken place.

Less than 24 hours earlier, I had been a condemned prisoner with no hope of survival.

Now I was a free man traveling to a new country where I could worship Jesus Christ openly without fear of death.

When I landed at Dallas International Airport, I was met by Pastor Michael Thompson and uh his wife Sarah, who had volunteered through a Christian refugee assistance program to sponsor my resettlement.

They welcomed me with tears in their eyes and genuine love in their hearts.

For the first time in months, I was surrounded by people who celebrated my faith rather than condemning it.

Starting over in America was both exhilarating and terrifying.

I arrived with nothing but the clothes on my back and a heart full of gratitude to God.

Pastor Thompson’s church community rallied around me, providing temporary housing, helping me learn English, and connecting me with job opportunities.

Every day brought new challenges, but also new evidences of God’s provision and care.

Within 6 months, I was sharing my testimony at churches across Texas.

Word spread about the Saudi royal guard who had been miraculously saved from execution and invitations began pouring in from around the country.

God had indeed prepared a ministry for me that reached far beyond anything I could have imagined during my darkest days in prison.

Two years later, I met Rebecca, a beautiful Christian woman who had been praying for persecuted Christians around the world.

She had actually been praying specifically for my situation before we ever met, having heard about my case through missionary networks.

Our courtship was a testimony to God’s perfect timing and his ability to restore what the enemy had tried to destroy.

Today I lead a ministry called uh Impossible Rescue which provides assistance to Christians fleeing persecution in the Middle East.

We have helped over 300 believers find safety and new lives in countries where they can worship freely.

Every person we assist is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and his heart for the persecuted church.

The challenges continue.

I can never return to Saudi Arabia, which means I will never see my family again unless they choose to visit me, which seems unlikely.

Extremist groups have issued threats against my life for my public testimony.

Some days, the loneliness and isolation of being cut off from my cultural roots feels overwhelming.

But every morning when I wake up as a free man, I remember that I should not be alive.

Every breath I take is is a gift that Jesus purchased for me through his miraculous intervention.

Every opportunity I have to share my testimony is a chance to honor the one who saved me from certain death.

I am asking you right now as someone who has experienced the impossible firsthand.

Is there something God is calling you to do that seems impossible? Are you facing a situation that appears hopeless? I am living proof that our God specializes in impossible situations.

If Jesus can save a condemned Saudi royal guard 20 hours before his execution, he can save anyone.

If he can turn a death sentence into a testimony that reaches around the world, he can transform your impossible situation into his opportunity for a miracle.

Do not wait for a prison cell to surrender everything to him.

Your impossible situation is God’s opportunity to show his power and love to a watching world.

To Jesus Christ who turns death sentences into testimonies and makes ways where there seems to be no way.

Be all the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

« Prev