The lesson about the power of sincere, heartfelt prayer is beautifully illustrated in the following story, which was recounted by the Maharash of Lubavitch in the name of his father, the Tzemach Tzedek. This poignant tale emphasizes the incredible impact of genuine prayer, even when it comes from a person who is not in the highest spiritual state.
In a small village near Yerushalayim, there lived a humble Jewish farmer who dedicated his life to working the land. Despite his lack of education in Torah, he was known for his deep piety and yir'as Shamayim. Every week, he would make his way into Yerushalayim to sell his harvest at the market. During these visits, he would seek out a rav who would kindly write down the prayers and their correct order for him to recite over the next week.
Because of the farmer's limited knowledge, the Rav only provided him with a week's worth of guidance at a time, fearing that too much information would overwhelm him. However, as winter approached, the farmer expressed his worry to the Rav about the muddy roads that could potentially hinder his weekly trips into the city. Compassionately, the Rav wrote down the order of prayers for several weeks in advance, alleviating the farmer's concerns.
In the second week following this arrangement, the farmer encountered a surprise when he arrived in Yerushalayim. All the Jewish shops were closed. Confused and distressed, he jumped off his donkey, as he thought that he had miscalculated the days and that today was Shabbos. As he was standing there next to his donkey, he spotted a passerby carrying tallis and tefillin under his arm. This confused the farmer even more, so he approached the man and inquired about why the shops were closed on what is supposed to be a weekday.
The man explained that it was a תַּעֲנִית צִבּוּר, a public fast day. The farmer was dumbfounded, as this fast was not included in the instructions he received from the Rav. He hurriedly left his donkey and cart in the bustling market, overwhelmed with sorrow for unwittingly breaking the fast, and rushed to find the Rav to seek guidance.
At the Rav's house, he was told that the Rav was in Shul. The farmer ran to the shul, went straight up to the Rav and burst out crying. "Oy, Rebbe," he cried, "what have you done to me?" The Rav tried to calm him down and asked him what befell him. From between the sobs the Rav managed to pick up that the farmer was broken because he unintentionally ate on a fast day and didn't even pray as appropriate for a fast day. "Why didn't you tell me?" he wept, "Why didn't you write that there is a תַּעֲנִית coming up?"
The Rav calmed him down and explained that this was not one of the fixed, obligatory תַּעֲנִיּוֹת, but rather one decreed by the rabbanim of Yerushalayim because of the delayed rains. This only obligates residents of Yerushalayim, and is therefore not applicable to the farmer; he can put his mind at ease.
The farmer, who had never heard of such a fast, asked the Rav how delayed rains connect to fasting, and the Rav explained to him that if there is no rain there is a fear of famine, so the Beis Din orders a fast and the people pray to Hashem for rain. The farmer was puzzled and asked, "For this, they order a fast?" The rabbi answered him with a question, "And what do you think we should do when it doesn't rain?" The farmer innocently replied that when the rain stops on his fields, he simply goes out to the field and says to Hashem: 'Father, I need rain!' and immediately the rains begin to fall.
Hearing the innocent words being uttered by the farmer, the Rav suggested that he try and do the same here. Immediately, the villager went out to the courtyard of the Shul and began to cry and say: "Father, there is no way that your children who are in the holy city will die of starvation, don't you see that they need rain?" Immediately rain began to fall and the Jews of Yerushalayim were relieved.
The Purpose of Tefillah
Although we may not always see immediate results from our prayers, we should remain hopeful. According to our sages, there are instances where a certain number of prayers are necessary before they are answered from Heaven.
However, there is another important aspect of tefillah that is often overlooked, and taking it into consideration might lead to swifter outcomes.
One of the reasons why Hashem created the system of tefillah is to establish and maintain a connection between Man and his Creator. By engaging in regular prayer, people remain conscious of Hashem's presence and involvement in their lives. Therefore, the ongoing nature of one's needs and prayers serves to foster an enduring connection with Hashem.
Circumventing the Delay
This is why sometimes prayers are not immediately answered by Hashem, as this encourages people to sustain their connection with Him, a connection which would otherwise weaken over time. But for someone who undertakes to continue talking to Hashem even after his wish is granted, there is no reason for the yeshu'ah to be hindered anymore.
The Arvei Nachal writes that this method was adopted by Dovid Hamelech, who implored (תהלים פו ג) חָנֵּנִי ה' כִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֶקְרָא כָּל־הַיּוֹם - Be gracious unto me, Hashem, for unto You do I call all day. The Arvei Nachal elucidates that with this, Dovid expressed his determination to continue calling upon Hashem regardless of the immediate fulfilment of his wishes, thereby enabling his desires to be fulfilled promptly.