A Powerful PrayerПримерок

Sometimes – somewhere

A young woman, passionate about flowers, planted a rare vine at the base of a stone wall. The vine was growing, but it didn’t look like it was going to flower. Day after day, the woman took care of the vine and tried all possible ways to persuade the vine to flower.

One morning, while the woman was examining her vine in dismay, her disabled neighbor called her and said, "You can't imagine how much I enjoyed the flowers on the vine you planted."

The woman followed the direction of the neighbor's gaze and saw many flowers on the side of the wall. The vine had crept through the gap and then blossomed on the other side.

We often think that our efforts are wasted because we don't see the fruit! We must learn that every prayer, along with hard work is never in vain in God's ministry. Everything will bear fruit, and every heart will receive blessings and joy - sometimes, somewhere.

Reflection:

When we pray, we often become hopeless and have our faith shaken because we have not seen the answer to our prayer. The reality is that none of our prayers is wasted. Do we believe that our every prayer will change something? Let us persevere in our prayers.

Do not attempt to assess the quality of your prayer. God alone can judge its value.

(Macarius of Optino)