“She’s dying, help!” — we heard a desperate scream. Running toward us was our neighbor Galya, who attended our church. We followed her, and within five minutes we entered a house notorious for loud, drunken parties. But this time, the party was turning into a wake.
A woman was lying on a filthy mattress, completely drunk. She was in intense pain radiating down her left arm, her head was spinning, and she was struggling to breathe. She was on the edge of death. Around her stood her drinking buddies, looking helpless. They told us in a confused, slurred way that if she had a second heart attack, it would be her last.
Galya had brought a blood pressure monitor. One of us held her wrist to check her pulse while another measured her blood pressure to assess how critical her condition was.
We began to pray. Suddenly, her blood pressure dropped to zero. Her pulse vanished. She stared at us with lifeless, glassy eyes. The woman had died. We weren’t just in despair — we were devastated. We felt the weight of her blood on our hands, realizing she had left this world without ever hearing about Christ, without making peace with God.
We cried out. So did her friends — but while they were mourning her death, we were praying louder than ever, and the power of that moment left everyone stunned. We recalled everything we’d read in books and learned in Bible school. We shouted out Scripture that came to mind. We rebuked the spirit of death and commanded life to return.
In complete desperation, Stan did something he had never done before. He spoke directly to her lifeless body and said, “If you can hear me, repeat this prayer in your heart.” Someone muttered drunkenly, “Uh-oh, now they’re gonna start summoning spirits…” And like one, her friends stepped back.
Stan, full of desperation and faith, paused after each short phrase of the prayer, giving the dead woman as much time as a living person would need to repeat the words. At first, nothing changed.
But then, a few minutes later, the woman blinked. Her lips began to move. Moments after that, she started mumbling words. The more she repeated the prayer of repentance, the clearer her voice became. Minutes later, she was sitting up on the bed, crying. Her friends, stunned and shaken, also began to cry, smearing drunken tears down their unshaven cheeks.
An hour passed. And in that hour, the drunk woman died, came back to life… and then the village nurse walked in. “Who died? What do you mean, she came back from the dead? Don’t waste my time!” the nurse barked. She examined the crying woman carefully but found no signs of a stroke or even death. Then she gave her a shot, which hurt for a long time afterward — a painful reminder of how deeply God loved her.
Later, the woman told us what she experienced: “When I died, I went flying through a dark tunnel. Nothing could stop me. But suddenly, in the middle of the pitch-black void, I saw three white lilies. And then, some force turned me around and pulled me back.”
That evening, three of us prayed for her — me, Stan, and our neighbor Galya. And the Lord gave the woman a vision using symbols and images she could easily understand and explain to others. That Sunday, she came to church and shared her testimony — that she was alive and well, despite everything that had happened. And the very next day, the woman who had risen from the dead… went fishing.
This happened back in 1997, when we were pastoring in a snowy village in Karelia. And we still rejoice that God allowed us to live out what Jesus taught in Matthew 10: 7–8: “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
Friends, don’t be afraid to act on what Jesus said. Believe what’s written in the New Testament, and you will see God’s miracles in your life.
But what should we do when some prayers go unanswered?
We met a family who began supporting one of our children’s homes in India. Their son had cancer. Of course, they prayed and believed God could heal him. But when he turned 20, he went to be with the Lord.
It seemed like the miracle never came. Yet before he died, the son made one final request. He said, “Don’t buy flowers, wreaths, or decorations. Instead, collect donations at my funeral and send them to India to save more children.”
I can’t even imagine how deeply that young man loved Christ and His mission to say something like that. And I’m still amazed by his parents, who honored his wish, even though most people wouldn’t. God used death to bring life.
Friends, maybe you think the Lord didn’t answer one of your prayers. If so, let’s reflect on a spiritual truth: the Kingdom of God is like a seed. Jesus said in Matthew 13: 31–32, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
In every hopeless situation, we can do something small that will produce a big result. But first, the seed has to die to bring forth fruit. The Lord said in John 12: 24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
Think about what Jesus did. When He died on the cross, He set people free from sin and gave them a life far more powerful than death.
Today, our bodies are still subject to death. But a day is coming when the dead will rise to eternal life, and our mortal bodies will be transformed into immortal ones. Then the words of Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death, you will never win again! Death, your sting is gone forever!”
So friends, hold on to your faith. Don’t doubt God’s goodness, even when it seems like your prayer went unanswered. Everything you do for the Lord will bear fruit. So give Him your all — always.
#FromHeartToHeart Stan & Lana
Jesus Unltd #EverythingIsPossible