‘Answered Prayer.’ Obama Calls Saeed ‘Top Priority’

In a glimmer of hope for the family of imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini, President Barack Obama met privately with Saeed's wife, Naghmeh, on Wednesday while he was visiting their hometown of Boise, Idaho.

The meeting came after Naghmeh wrote an open letter to the president asking for a face-to-face meeting. The conversation only lasted 10 minutes but Naghmeh says it was an answer to prayer.

"I went to the throne of God and said, 'God I have no connections. I've been trying to meet with the president for two and a half years, I haven't been able to even get a phone call," she told CBN News of her prayers. "Lord, you can make this happen. You have the hearts of kings in your hand."

Naghmeh said she told President Obama, "God brought you here, God set up this meeting."

"I told the president that I had not eaten food for almost four days and that I prayed and prayed for a meeting with him, and petitioned God, and this meeting was a result of that, and he smiled and he nodded," she said.

**Naghmeh Abedini spoke to CBN News' Heather Sells about her meeting with the president and how it was a divine appointment. Watch her powerful interview about her miraculous meeting here:

Pastor Saeed is a U.S. citizen who has been in prison in Iran since September 2012 on charges related to his Christian faith.

He was given an eight-year sentence for what was termed "undermining state security," accused of building a church network in private homes. He's often endured serious health problems in those harsh prison conditions.

The president told Naghmeh that bringing her husband home is a top priority.

"I have hope for the next steps because God is in control," she told CBN News afterwards.

Pastor Saeed's two children came with Naghmeh to the meeting with the president. Their son, Jacob, had a question of his own. He was 4 years old when his father was first taken as a prisoner. He'll be seven this year.

"My son asked President Obama if he can get Saeed home by my son's birthday and he said: 'Jacob when is your birthday?' and Jacob said: 'March 17' and he said: 'It's going to be very hard but I'm going to try Jacob, I'm gonna try,'" Naghmeh recalled.

Naghmeh told the president that she loves him and frequently prays for him.

She said, 'I don't know if that is a professional thing to say but I'm praying for you."

"He smiled and grabbed my hands, held them and said, 'No, it's a perfect thing to say. I need your prayers.' From there, we made a heart connection," she said.

"I want to see God get glorified in Saaed's release. Like this meeting, everyone will say, 'This was a God thing,'" she told CBN News.

Meanwhile, the American Center for Law and Justice called the meeting between the president and Naghmeh a "very welcomed development."

"It demonstrates the president's concern and compassion for this family. It also underscores the importance of Pastor Saeed's case, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Iran merely because of his Christian faith," the ACLJ said in a statement.

"The face-to-face meeting elevates Pastor Saeed's plight on the world stage - and should send a powerful message to the Iranians - it is time to release Pastor Saeed so he can return home to his family," they added.