I once heard a story about two farmers. While spring ended the cold winter, it brought scorching temperatures and little rain. In fact, it was so dry the farmers couldn't sow their fields. Both farmers were Godly men, and they met to pray together for rain.
The next morning, one farmer got up and looked at the sky. “Nope,” he said to himself, “not a cloud in the sky.” So again he prayed for rain. Day after day, the farmer got up, looked at the sky in disappointment and prayed. However, he became discouraged easily and wondered what would happen to his family if he couldn't get his crop out in time. Thinking to commiserate their misery together, he went to visit his neighbor. He was astonished at what he saw. His neighbor hadn't given up at all! He had his fields prepared and everything ready to go as soon as God sent the rain. A little perplexed, he asked his neighbor, “What are you doing? We can't do anything until it rains.”
“We prayed for rain,” the neighbor said simply as if that was the end of the matter.
“Yes, but that was a week ago and it still hasn't rain! I keep praying and praying, but it ain't doing any good.”
“When you prayed, did you believe God would answer?” the neighbor asked.
“Well, yeah.”
“We prayed for rain. It will rain, and you'd better have your fields ready.”
We get in a habit of praying for something, and we keep asking … and asking … and asking. I sometimes wonder if God doesn't feel like shouting, “I heard you the first time!” We seem to believe if we ask for it enough times, God will give us what we want. It is one thing to have faith to pray; it's quite another to have the faith to get ready for His answer whenever it comes. Although it may take many years for you to see the answer to your prayer, God answers as soon as you ask. All we have to do is believe. Too many times we are like the farmer who was discouraged. We pray only half-heartedly; we know in our minds God will answer, but we don't exercise our faith to expect an answer. We should be as the farmer who prayed once and then prepared his fields for the rain to come.
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matt 21:22) Do you have enough faith to prepare your fields?