Faith, Trust and Prayer

 The past couple of weeks we have posted articles on Faith.  When one prays it certainly helps if they have faith that it will be heard and trust that it will be answered.  How often have we prayed for something and seemingly never received an answer?  Could it have been that the answer was NO or NOT YET?  Have we questioned our faith when our prayers were seemingly not answered?   Have we said, well, they have more faith so their prayers got answered and mine didn't and then ceased to pray and soon found our faith, our trust in shambles. 

The story of two men, shipwrecked on a lonely island, is offered today with the question;
who's prayers were heard and who had the most faith?  Read before answering.

Two men survived a shipwreck and were cast onto a small island. The two men, not knowing what else to do, agreed they had no other choice but to pray to God.  They agreed to divide the island into two territories and each would pray and somehow determine who's prayers and who's faith was stronger.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning the first man saw a tree bearing tropical fruit on his side of the island and he began to eat, the other man's side remained barren.

After a week or so, the first man was lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next morning a woman appeared on his side of the island.  On the other side, was nothing.  Soon the first man prayed for more food, a house and clothes. The next day, as if by magic all these things appeared on his side of the island.   The second man still had nothing on his side of the island.

Finally the first man prayed for a ship to come to his rescue so he and the woman could leave the island. In the morning a ship lay at anchor just off shore on his side of the island..  The first man and the woman decided to leave the island and leave the other man stranded.  He considered the other man unworthy of God's abundance and blessing since it appeared as though none of his prayers were answered.

As the first man was boarding the ship  a booming voice from heaven was heard asking, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"Why not, since my blessings are mine and mine alone, since I am the one who prayed for them." boasted the first man.

"You are WRONG!" boomed the voice from heaven in rebuke. " He had only one prayer, which I answered.  If not for him you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Well, tell me, " the man asked in an arrogant voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

Quietly the voice from heaven answered, " He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

Now tell me, who's prayers were stronger and who's faith was strongest? 

How are we to know that the blessings we receive are the results of our prayers and our faith alone and not those of someone else praying and standing in faith for us, unselfishly that our prayers be answered?  Remember, "What you do for others is more important that what you do for yourself."

I shared this story with you, just as it was shared with me.  I hope that you will share it with someone else and I pray that all your prayers are answered.

Hattip:  Dr. Charles Edwards Jr., National Chaplain, Disabled Veterans of America.