(ABC 6 NEWS)--- May 7th is the National Day of Prayer.

Local churches have several events scheduled to mark the day, including highlighting the story of a local Iraqi family.

A family that says it wouldn't be together today if not for the power of prayer.

It's an old Christian prayer written and read in Arabic and it's one, Raad Ghareeb of Rochester, says saved his life.

“October 3rd, 2006. I don't forget that date.”

That was the day Ghareeb, formerly of Baghdad, Iraq, was kidnapped by a splinter group of Al Quida.

The group accused Ghareeb, who is Christian not Muslim, of working with the American military.

He was thinking...  "This is the end of my life."

He was also thinking about the copy of his prayer that he was carrying in his pocket.

"Because 100%, it should be they kill me. No choice. If i'm not working with the American army, I am a Christian… two reasons."

After searching Ghareeb and finding the prayer, the leader of the terrorist group began reading it to himself.

Ghareeb's daughter says that's when the man who would surely kill her father did something almost unbelievable."

“He just put it back in my dad's pocket and he pull out my dad's passport from his pocket and he gave it back to my dad and he said Raad, go back to your family,” said Zinah George.

Ghareeb's family now lives in Rochester and has had time to consider the theological ramifications of exactly what happened that day.

To a person they say there is only one explanation.

"It's miracle. I think it's a miracle."

"Jesus Christ present that minute and get that person to let me go."