Prayer and the economy of salvation.
For all we know, God and his plans are far too complex to hold them within our head, to understand or comprehend them. We could express the same thought as a thinker and a man of God put it once: -«If you want to make God smile, wisper your plans into His ears!».
Now be ready for a wonderful and ad hoc anecdote… Enjoy it!
The answered prayer
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea
and only two of the men on it were able
to swim to a small, desert like island.
The two survivors, not knowing what else to do,
agree that they had no other recourse
but to pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful,
they agreed to divide the territory between them
and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing the first man prayed for was food.
The next morning, the first man saw
a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land,
and he was able to eat its fruit.
The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely
and he decided to pray for a wife.
The next day, another ship was wrecked,
and the only survivor was a woman
who swam to his side of the land.
On the other side of the island,
there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house,
clothes, more food.
The next day, like magic,
all of these were given to him.
However,
the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship,
so that his wife and he could leave the island.
In the morning, he found a ship docked
at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife
and decided to leave the second man on the island.
He considered the other man unworthy
to receive God’s blessings,
since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave,
the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming,
«Why are you leaving your companion on the island?»
«My blessings are mine alone,
since I was the one who prayed for them,»
the first man answered.
«His prayers were all unanswered,
and so he does not deserve anything.»
«You are mistaken!»
the voice rebuked him.
«He had only one prayer,
which I answered.
If not for that, you would not have
received any of my blessings.»
«Tell me,» the first man asked the voice,
«what did he pray for that I
should owe him anything?»
«He prayed that all your prayers be answered.»
For all we know, our blessings are not
the fruits of our prayers alone,
but those of another praying for us.
A contribution sent by John Paul Ezeani, from dear Nigeria.
