Prepare for the answer...

The other night I was reading a short story in the May 2007 Signs of the Times magazine. The title was Disappointed Cannibals. The story was about James Hudson Taylor, a British Protestant Missionary to China in the late 1800s.

When he first went to China, he was on a sailing vessel. Close to the shore of a cannibal island the wind died down and the vessel began slowly drifting toward shore. On shore the inhabitants of the island were eagerly awaiting their anticipated feast. The captain came to Mr. Taylor and begged him to pray for the help of God.

"I will," said Taylor, "provided you set your sail to catch the breeze." The captain declined to do so, as he didn't want to become a "laughingstock" with the sailors by unfurling his sails in a dead calm. Taylor said, "I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails." The captain went ahead and ordered the sails unfurled.

Mr. Taylor went to his stateroom to pray. While engaged in prayer, there was knock at his door and he asked, "Who's there?" The captain responded and said, "Are you still praying for wind?" "Yes," replied Mr. Taylor. "Well," said the captain, "you'd better stop praying for we have more wind than we can well manage."

Approximately 100 yards from shore, a strong wind had struck the sails of the vessel and the ship was able to pull away from the island. All aboard were safe from the inhabitants of the island.

The article concluded with this thought, "Sails are made to catch the wind. This part of the prayer, namely, the spreading of the sail, the sailors could do. It belonged to God to send the wind."

A very profound thought! It reminded me how important it is to prepare for the answer to your prayer, believing that God will answer. Immediately, I thought about my heart's desire and prayer request I have before God. I know I need to and want to prepare for the answer like I've never prepared before!