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, agreed 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 they 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
he and his wife would
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.
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