Welcome to the Daily Chizuk. Imagine someone could arrange for you to have a meeting with one of the most powerful men in the world. You could sit down with him and talk about whatever you want for 30 minutes. How much money would that meeting be worth? Rabbi Eisenman pointed out that on May 14, 2013, there was a bidding auction, and one of the prizes was to have a cup of coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was ranked the 19th most powerful man in the world by Forbes. An anonymous bidder paid $610,000 for that meeting. Imagine over $600,000 to have a conversation with another human being. This bidder was probably hoping to improve his financial situation from that meeting.
But what if someone had a real life-threatening medical issue, and only the top doctor in the world could help? How much would he be willing to pay for a meeting with that doctor? And what if a country? He was contemplating war. And they could meet with someone who could guarantee them an easy victory. America has spent a trillion and a half dollars on war since 2001. How fortunate are we? We could have a meeting with the most powerful being in the world, who is Borei Refuot. He creates cures that aren't even in existence. He is Ba'al Milchamot. He's the master of war. He could grant us a salvation in any situation.
We could talk to Hashem any time of day. And not only do we not have to pay for the meeting, Hashem wants to meet with us so badly, He pays us when we call out to Him. When a Jew is in trouble and cries out to Hashem, he is credited with a positive commandment from the Torah, the value of which is priceless. And it's credited to our account for all of eternity. Therefore, every meeting with Hashem is a guaranteed success, whether or not we see the results.
The Midrash Rabbah in Parashat Devarim says that sometimes Hashem has a number of tefillot (prayers) He wants to hear from us before our request is granted, because real prayer from the heart is so beneficial to us. But we have to know: the closer you get to that number, the stronger the evil inclination gets, because the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) tries to tell us, “Why bother praying again? You've been asking and asking, and you still haven't been answered.” The harder it gets, the closer you are. Either way, every single tefillah will bring you a benefit. If not today, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, maybe next year.
One of the Steipler's grandchildren once said that he had told his grandfather he was on his way to the Kotel. The Steipler said, “Please mention my name in your prayers.” The grandchild was astounded. He said, “Grandpa, do I have to mention you to Hashem? You are much closer to Hashem than I am.” The Steipler replied, “Listen carefully. Not one prayer goes unanswered. It's a fact of creation. Every word of prayer that comes out of a Jewish person's mouth accomplishes something.” If not now, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, in two days. And if not in two days, even a hundred years later. Results are always produced. We must take advantage of this golden opportunity available to us at all times. Never underestimate tefillah. Pray, pray and pray again. It's a guaranteed success.