Fight Your Battles On Your Knees

I want to tell you a story that is simply an incredible testimony of the power of prayer and the mercy of God. This story/ testimony is very dear to my heart because it concerns my family.

Tomorrow, March 15th, it will be 3 years since my dad passed away. To tell you the truth, it’s not easy for me to talk about it… since childhood, I have been a “Daddy’s daughter” and I miss him very deeply. But this week it’s been on my heart to share with you this testimony. Wiping away my tears, I want to share how God made the impossible to save the man’s soul and opened the door where it seemed that there was no way out. It makes me hold my breath in awe every time I think of it.
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In November 2015, I heard from my family in Lithuania that my dad was taken to the hospital by the ambulance because of serious heart problems. My father had a lot of problems with his heart, and I thought that this was one of those times when he would return home soon. But this time his condition turned out to be more serious than I could have imagined. After a while, when mom told me that dad was already able to speak, I called him on his mobile phone. During our conversation, my father told me the truth – the doctors told him that there was no chance of improving his heart condition. He could die at any time, and the only way to prolong his life is through a heart transplant surgery. I asked him what predictions were how long he would have to wait for a new heart.
“I do not know, Inga …,” my father sighed helplessly. “Doctors do not know for sure. They say that maybe in two months, maybe ten months, and maybe in two years … this is unpredictable.”
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It was one of those moments when helplessness was again staring straight at me.
After our conversation, I immediately went on my knees before the Lord and began crying out to Him in my prayer. I asked Him to make a miracle and give my father a new heart as soon as possible and extend the days of his life. I was not ready to let my dad go! In addition, he was not ready to face eternity! I pleaded with God to give more time to my dad so that he would have another chance to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord.
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It was very strange for me to ask God for it because it meant that someone else had to die. But I knew that God is just, and He does not make mistakes. Fully aware that only the Lord had the power to prolong the days of my father’s life, I surrendered everything into His hands.
Next week, when I answered my phone, I heard mom’s trembling voice, “Daughter, our dad is already with a new heart! It was so unexpected! The heart of the donor came quite unexpectedly in the middle of the night, and they did an operation on the emergency basis.”
“What, already??”
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I just could not believe it. Although I prayed for it, it was still hard to believe that it was a reality – the doctors said that no one knew when the heart of the donor would be available and whether it would be there at all, and in less than a week after the prayer, my dad got a new heart! We all praised the Lord for the miracle that had astonished many, including my father. For the first time, my dad recognized the power of prayer, and that there is a God.
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Nevertheless, soon all of us were at a loss again – the significant improvement began to collapse: my dad started having problems with other internal organs, and he began to refuse the food. He was again placed back in the ICU, and medical specialists began doing numerous tests in order to understand what was happening. Soon my mother called me. Barely holding back tears, she told the news – dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, stage 4. He would not be able to go through another surgery and, moreover, the cancer was at such stage that there was no chance of defeating it. (It turned out that cancer had already been there for some time, only it did not manifest itself significantly. But when the doctors gave my dad medicines that reduce the immune system so that the body does not reject the new heart, this created ideal conditions for cancer to spread its tentacles). And now the doctors said that it was only a matter of days…
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The news just paralyzed me. I did not know what to think and what to do. I could not even imagine how I could live without seeing my father before his death. But at that time I didn’t have extra money to travel from California to Europe, and I didn’t see the opportunity to do it.
For a moment, I again felt myself in a hopeless situation. But over the course of many years, my God led me out of the most hopeless circumstances; many times He created opportunities where there were none. He repeatedly turned the impossible into the possible. Knowing my God, the very first thing I did was I again came in my prayer before my Heavenly Father and spoke with Him in tears that I wanted to see my father for the last time. I asked Him to do another miracle – arrange the circumstances so that I could fly to Lithuania, hold his hand and say goodbye. I pleaded with the Lord to not allow him to die until he knew Jesus, and that He would keep him alive until I saw him.
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The Lord’s answer came the very next day – after my sister in faith, Victoria, heard the news about my father, called me and asked if I would want to go home to Lithuania and spend some time with my father and family. I replied that I desperately wanted that and I would fly out the next day if I could, but I did not have the financial resources to travel to Europe.
Victoria encouraged me and said, “Do not worry about finances. We will all help you. Go online, look for a flight and get ready to travel to be with your family,” and she began to turn to brothers and sisters in Christ, raising funds. Other friends posted my need on Facebook, asking people to support me at this time. After I told my mom that I was going to fly to Vilnius, she asked to come as soon as possible – dad was getting weaker every day.
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To my astonishment, already in two days, I had enough funds to purchase the airline ticket. Furthermore, my friends took further initiative and continued reaching out to raise more funds to help my mom and brother with the funeral costs. I was just in tears watching how my friends and even people whom I personally did not know showered me with love and so much needed financial support. And so, despite how hopeless it seemed at first, after the prayer the arrangement for my trip began immediately, and already in four days. I was on the airplane on my way to Lithuania.
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During the 23-hour trip, I had a lot of time to think. I thought about the latest events, analyzing how everything miraculously changed. It was just incredible to watch how after the prayer the circumstances seemed to come alive and they began changing in my favor. My situation has completely transformed in a matter of a few days! I saw a lesson again – fight your battles on your knees. The Lord is the one who has authority over all circumstances and people’s hearts. The living God can lead you out of the most hopeless situations. He can open any doors for you, even if at first it seems that there is no way out.
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I will never forget my dad’s surprised look when he saw me opening the doors and coming into his room at the hospital. After I told him how I was able to travel to Lithuania to see him, Dad was very touched by the kindness of the people and asked me to thank everyone who made my trip possible. Therefore, using this opportunity, I want to once again thank everyone who responded and helped me to see my father for the last time. ✨✨✨

And now I want to share with you what amazed me the most.

When I arrived and saw my father the next day, along with my joy I felt at a loss. My father was always my support, and it was simply unbearable to see him so weak and helpless. When I returned home from the hospital, feeling deep pain and confusion, I immediately began to talk to God. I prayed, asking Him to explain to me – if dad already had cancer, and he was dying from it anyway, then why did he have a heart transplant? Why did the Lord answer my prayer and did such an incredible miracle by giving him a new heart in a matter of days… what’s the point of all this? Suddenly, during a prayer, a clear thought/feeling came to me, “Remember your prayer.”
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These words were like lightning that illuminates the dark sky – that moment I understood everything! For many years, my prayer for my father was asking God to give salvation to my father and not allow him to die until/unless he knows Jesus Christ and has the eternal life with the Lord. I know my father – if he had learned that he had cancer, he would be very angry and would not want to hear anything about God. And now, when my father started having serious issues with his heart and could die at any moment, the Lord gave him a new heart to extend his life, thus showing him His love and giving him one more chance to receive salvation for his soul.
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Moreover, it is simply unrealistic that after numerous tests for heart transplantation, the doctors did not see that my dad had a stage 4 cancer! How is it possible?? Doctors were absolutely shocked that they did not see that he had cancer. They all said that it was the first and the only case in many years of their practice when they did so many tests for a heart transplant and did not notice such a serious thing as cancer. They firmly stated that if they had seen the slightest sign of cancer, there’s no way they would have done a heart transplant surgery. But it seemed like their eyes were closed! Because it was the will of the living God to give my dad a new heart in order to prolong the days of his life and give him another chance to receive salvation for his soul and have eternal life with the Lord.
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That’s what it was for. Previously, my father scoffed at prayer and faith in God, but when the death stood at the threshold of his life, and he received a new heart in less than a week, he no longer laughed about God and the power of prayer. In fact, he agreed that it was a divine miracle and he was ready to talk about God.
When I learned the news about cancer, a couple of churches in the Bay Area began to pray hard for the salvation of my dad’s soul, and at the same time, my brother in Vilnius began to look for someone from the church to visit our father, talk and pray with him before he leaves for the eternity. All the circumstances were in his favor, and one minister of the Christian church agreed to come the next day to see my father.
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While my brother was arranging this meeting, he was concerned that my dad would not have privacy because there was another patient in the same room, and the doctors were constantly coming in and out throughout the day. But he could not imagine what a surprise was ahead – on the day when the minister could visit my father, another patient was taken to the operating room and he was gone for almost the entire day, and the doctors somehow stopped coming and out, as they normally did. My dad had the privacy and could talk with the minister without interruptions. 
After several hours of conversation, having received answers to the questions, my dad asked to pray for him, because he wanted to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior of his soul. My brother and mom said that after that prayer, my dad became much calmer, and even his face changed, his eyes became brighter.
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And when I arrived, I found my father already saved. I believed and knew that God does miracles to save the souls of people, but I could never even imagine I would witness this kind of testimony. 
On the second day, my father was even weaker, but he could still speak. I told him that the reason why God gave him a new heart is to prolong the days of his life so that he has more time and give him one more chance to receive Jesus Christ before his death. Dad looked at me deeply and calmly said,
“Yes… I know. You’re absolutely right.”
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Dad added that by this time he most likely would not be alive if it were not for the new heart, and if it was all real, that everything suddenly turned in his favor. I confirmed that it was all really true because God loved him so much. We started praying together again. I surrendered my father into the hands of the Lord and asked Jesus to let him know that everything would be fine with him and to give him peace about what was ahead. When at the end of the prayer I opened my eyes and looked at my father, I saw him looking up and around as though he was seeing something, which I could not see! And then he looked at me. His eyes were so bright! I have never seen my father with such bright eyes! He looked at me with a deep calm gaze and said,
“Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. And I will no longer worry about you either.”
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I took my dad by the hand and confirmed that the best is waiting for him, and there is no need to worry about me because the Lord takes care of me and keeps me safe. Dad sighed calmly. At that moment, I knew that this was the last day when I could talk to my dad.

And it was, indeed…
Dad’s last sentence was, “I’m glad that everything is coming to an end and that it ends so well.”
How can a dying person say this?
He spoke about his soul because he knew that he was only one step away from hell, but now he will be with the Lord.
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On the third day of my visit, he was no longer able to talk. I stayed with him for another week, and my father died three days later after I left Lithuania. He stepped into eternity just a couple of weeks after he received the salvation of his soul.
The Lord is never late.
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After going through this experience, I want to encourage you and urge you to pray for your loved ones. Do you know what my dad asked God for when he and I prayed? His request was not about his health or about anything else. He said that the only thing he wanted to ask from God was about other people so that others would have the same chance as he did.
Today, my father’s prayer will be my wish for you and for the people you love.

In all cases of your life, first, lead your battle on your knees before the Lord. God always answers to those who seek Him with a sincere heart. He always comes on time and He is never late.