Pray Blessings for Others

A couple of years ago Ginny Caesar passed along a story to me that is relevant to the season we are entering.  It tells of a voyaging ship that 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.  Eventually each ended up on opposite sides of the island with the territory divided between them.
 
The first man prayed for food, and the next morning, he saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land.  He enjoyed its fruit, but curiously 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, there was a woman who swam to his side of the island.  On the other side of the island, there was nothing.  Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food.  The next day, 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 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 doesn’t 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 and work alone, but those of another praying for us.  Jesus taught us that what you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself when He said, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).  Are you blessed?  Then be a blessing.
 
Working together to win together,
Tyler