"Set the sail!"

".... whatsoever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24)

When we ask God for something that we know is in His will, we must also be ready to receive the answer.
When Hudson Taylor went to China, he made the voyage on a sailing ship. As it neared the channel between the southern Malat peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the missionary heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship.
"Mr. Taylor," he said, "we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals."
"What can I do?" asked Taylor.
"I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind."
"All right, Captain, I will, but you must set the sail."
"Why, that's ridiculous! There's not even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailors will think I'm crazy." Nevertheless, the captain finally agreed. Forty-five minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees.
"You can stop praying now," said the captain. "we've got more wind than we know what to do with!"
Hudson Taylor believed that God answers prayer. What about you? Do you really expect Him to respond? Pray and then "set the sail."

Think about it.
What kind of prayers will God not answer?
What is the difference between expecting an answer from God and demanding out wishes?

When you pray for rain, carry an umbrella!

This is a story I read as part of the new member's class at my church, during the section on prayer. I do not know who wrote it.