a life blessed

In the book 'The Circle Maker', Mark Batterson speaks of the life of a carob tree, stating that we must have a carob tree mentality when praying, praying long and praying hard.   I did a bit of research on the carob tree, as I was intrigued by this.  The carob tree takes years to start bearing fruit, as early as 6 years, but it can bear fruit for up to 80-100 years. Although irrigation does help its production, it can thrive in dry areas.   In a world of instant gratification, we are not accustomed to bearing these times of drought in our lives.  We pray 'pop-up' prayers wanting them to be answered as soon as we finish praying. We pray, and then expect a "presto" answer as toast popping out of a toaster.   The truth is, "As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given" (Daniel 9:23), however, you may not see the answer for quite some time, maybe not even for years and years.  The ability to withstand these periods of drought is the s...