Dec 14, 2020
There is praying and praying. And true prayer is only possible when men and women have a God-consciousness, when they know what it is to realize the presence of a holy God.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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There is praying and praying. And true prayer is only possible when men and women have a God-consciousness, when they know what it is to realize the presence of a holy God.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“If we wish to feel the fruit of true prayer, while at the same time performing our various other occupations, we are to keep our heart totally present to God.”
~St. Angela of Foligno
(Image via completejoy.wordpress.com)
Learning true prayer means learning to die in the sense Jesus meant by this: dying to egotism, self-determination and self-achieving, and letting God recreate us in love in a way that only God can do.
4 Keys Help You Have Effective Prayers
Ever since we started believing in the Lord, we knew that praying to God and communing with God is indispensable to our spiritual life.
Because God’s word says, “Prayer is one of the ways in which man cooperates with God, it is a means by which man calls upon God, and it is the process by which man is touched by God’s Spirit. It can be said that those who are without prayer are dead ones without spirit, proof that they lack the faculties to be touched by God. Without prayer, they are unable to attain a normal spiritual life, much less are they able to follow the work of the Holy Spirit; without prayer, they sever their relationship with God, and are incapable of receiving God’s approval. Being someone who believes in God, the more you pray, the more you are touched by God. Such people have greater resolution and are more able to receive the latest enlightenment from God; as a result, only people like this can be made perfect as soon as possible by the Holy Spirit.” Here it is mentioned that a person without prayer is not someone living before God; anyone who does not pray has no spirit and vice versa. Prayer is the need of our spiritual life. When we read God’s word, praying can help us gain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, understand God’s will, and find the way of practice from God’s word; when we encounter dangers and adversities, it was through our prayer that God gives us true faith and courage. So to speak, the more we pray before God, the stronger our faith in God becomes, the more plentiful our understanding of the truth is, and the greater our resolves to love God are. Since prayer can produce such results, some people may ask: For our prayer to be in conformity with God’s will and achieve these results, what principles should we grasp? Now, I’d like to share fellowship on this specifically.
Firstly, the true significance of prayer to God is to understand the truth and attain obedience to God and worship of God. We must not, under any circumstances, engage in religious ceremony.
Praying is one way to worship God. If our prayers are to be effective, firstly, we must find the way within God’s word and understand the true significance of prayer. God’s word says, “Prayer is not a case of going through the formalities, or following procedure, or reciting the words of God, which is to say, prayer does not mean parroting words and copying others. In prayer, you must give your heart to God, sharing the words in your heart with God so that you may be touched by God.” “If you pray often and if you know how to pray, frequently praying submissively and reasonably, then frequently your state will be particularly normal inside. If you frequently pray with a few slogans and don’t have a burden, or ponder how you are speaking reasonably or unreasonably in your prayer, and what kind of way of speaking is not true worship, and if you are never serious about these matters, then your prayers won’t be successful and the condition inside you will always be abnormal; you will never deeply enter into lessons of what normal reason is, what true submission is, what true worship is, and where to stand. These are all subtle matters.” From God’s word we understand. When we pray, we must harbor right intentions, take an attitude of piety, and have a seeking, obedient heart. Only in this way can our prayers gain God’s approval and conform with God’s will. If we do not pray with seriousness and a quiet heart before God, but pray speaking a few words casually and insincerely, and even unreasonably demanding that God do this or that, then such prayers are not that obeying or worshiping God, but that conducting a religious ceremony and going through the motions. God never accepts such prayers.
Then what is the true significance of prayer? One’s prayer is not for the sake of his own fleshly interests, but rather it is to understand God’s word, to practice the truth according to God’s word, and to act in accordance with God’s will. The Lord Jesus said, “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Mat 6:33). Here we see that praying ought to be for the purpose of God’s work, for satisfying God, and for carrying out His will. Take Peter’s prayer as an example. No matter what things he encountered, he would pray with a submissive heart to seek out God’s will. He ceased to be his own master even in food, clothing, and shelter; instead, he strictly required himself to practice in accordance with the Lord’s word. So all his prayers were in concert with God’s will and all that he did could glorify God. Eventually, he was perfected by God, and became a person who was truly obedient to God and who had real worship of God. But the Pharisees’ prayers were completely different. Their prayers were entirely for the sake of maintaining their status and livelihood, for establishing and exalting themselves. Moreover, in order to deceive those ignorant common people into worshiping and obeying them, they purposely stood in the synagogues and at crossroads to engage in long prayers. Therefore, the Lord Jesus criticized them by saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation” (Mat 23:14). Through the word of the Lord Jesus, we can see that the Pharisees’ prayers were hypocritical and religious. God does not approve of but despises such prayers.
Secondly, we must draw upon our practical difficulties and problems when praying to God. We must not depart from reality and speak empty words, or talk of letters and doctrines.
In our real life, we always encounter all kinds of difficulties. At this time, how should we pray to God? God says, “The lowest standard that God requires of people is that they be able to open their hearts to Him. If man gives his true heart to God and says what is really within his heart to God, then God is willing to work in man; God does not want the twisted heart of man, but his pure and honest heart. If man does not truly speak his heart to God, then God does not touch man’s heart, or work within him. Thus, the most crucial thing about praying is to speak the words of your true heart to God, telling God of your flaws or rebellious disposition and completely opening yourself up to God. Only then will God be interested in your prayers; if not, then God will hide His face from you.” God’s word points out a way of practice to us. When we face practical difficulties, we must pray before God with an attitude of godliness, and opening up our heart to Him: Speak the words of our heart with honesty; do not speak empty or fakery words or lie to deceive Him. But if we shut our hearts to God, and just say some high- and nice-sounding words to deceive God, then God cannot see our honest hearts, and so He will not approve of such prayers. For example, some people pray to God, “Oh God! I am willing to dedicate my whole self to You. I am willing to devote all that I have to You!”, but afterward they do nothing for God. Some people say, “Oh God! I’d like to expend for You and to offer my heart to You. I’d like to serve You and be loyal to You,” but after saying that, they still rebel against God as they did before, is this not deceiving God? Some people pray to God, saying: “Oh, God! I am willing to forsake everything to follow You,” but having prayed, they give nothing up. Some people say to God, “Oh, God, I will love You my whole life long,” but actually, they never love God in their life—what they love are themselves, their flesh, their children, and their money. Look at these prayers. They are all empty words deceptive to God. This is sufficient to prove that we are too impious before God, and that we do not have a God-revering heart at all. God doesn’t listen to our prayers like this, so they are fruitless. If we do not repent but continue praying in this way, we will be detested by God.
Thirdly, we must frequently pray to God about the problems of performing our duty and entering into life, seeking to understand the truth and enter reality.
When expending for God in fulfilling our duty, many brothers and sisters believe that as long as we confess our sins and repent more in our prayer before the Lord, spread the gospel for the Lord more, do more work and preach more sermons, then we will conform with God’s will and be praised by God. But in fact, it is not. Such practice is wrong. Because in fulfilling our duty, there are still lots of problems and situations to be really resolved. God’s word says, “When fulfilling your duty or working on something, you should always think: How should I fulfill this duty? What is God’s intention? Through matters, you draw close to God, and through drawing close to God, you seek the principles and truths to do things, you seek God’s will from within and do not leave God in all that you do. This is a person who truly believes in God. … Human ideas usually look good and right to people and they look like they do not violate truth that much. People feel that doing it this way is putting truth into practice, they feel that doing it this way is submitting to God. Actually, people are not really seeking God and praying to God about this. They are not striving to do it well to satisfy God’s will, nor striving to do it well according to His requirements. They do not have this true situation, and they don’t have such desire. This is the greatest error people make in their practice, because you believe in God, but God is not in your heart. How is this not a sin? How is this not deceiving yourself? What effect will believing this way have? Where is the practical significance in believing in God?” From God’s word we can understand that the fulfillment of the duty is a path by which our life may grow. Duty is entrusted to us by God, and we should develop a true burden for it. When we fulfill our duty, it is not the case that as long as we accomplish things that God has entrusted to us, then we are satisfying God. If we do not seek to solve the difficulties and problems in our duty, can we satisfy God? Therefore, we should ask and pray more before God, find a way to practice in His word, and fulfill our duty according to His requirements. We also should at all times reflect on whether we have our own thoughts adulterated in the fulfillment of our duty or whether we are doing something that betrays the truth and principles, and after we find them we should turn around timely. If we can seriously treat everything God entrusts to us like this, then our life will grow in the course of fulfilling our duty, and our corrupt disposition will gradually be cleansed and changed. In fact, not only should we focus on practicing God’s word in fulfilling our duty, but we should live by God’s word in our work and daily life. Only when we always practice in this way, can we understand the truth and enter into its reality, change our life disposition, and become a person that is commended by God.
Fourthly, there must be reverence for God in our prayers, and we must be reasonable. We may not make demands of God, coerce God, or take advantage of God, much less may we make trades with God.
God’s word says, “You should seek and submit in your prayers; for example, if a matter came upon you that you didn’t know how to handle, then you say: ‘Oh God! This matter has come upon me, and I don’t know how to handle it. I am willing to satisfy You in this matter, I am willing to seek You, I desire for Your will to come to pass, I desire to do according to Your intentions, and not according to my own. You know that the intentions of man are in violation of Your will; they resist You and do not conform with truth. I only desire to do according to Your intentions. I ask You to enlighten me and guide me in this matter, so that I won’t offend You….’ This kind of tone of voice in prayer is appropriate. If you merely say: ‘Oh God, I ask You to help me and guide me; prepare a suitable environment and suitable people for me, so that I can do well in my work,’ when this kind of prayer is over, you still don’t know what God’s will is, because you are trying to make God do things according to your intentions.” God’s word gives us a way to practice praying to God. When we pray, we should stand in the right position and be reasonable; we should not make demands of God, or coerce God into doing this and that. No matter what kind of difficulties we meet, or whether we understand God’s will, we must pray with reverence for God, standing in the position of a creature and keeping a heart of obedience to God. Take the Lord’s prayer as an example. Before the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus prostrated Himself on the ground and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as you will” (Mat 26:39). From this we can see that even when the incarnate God prayed to the heavenly Father, He still maintained an obedient heart, completely acted according to the will of God the Father, and had no choice of His own. But in real life, our prayers are not reasonable. We often demand God do this or that to achieve our own aims without the slightest reverence for God. We force our own desires upon God and ask Him to do things in accordance with our ideas. And we demand things from God with the intention of conducting transactions with God. For example, in the face of difficulties, many people do not care about God’s will, but only pester Him with incessant prayers that include assistance for solving their problems; when some people encounter sickness, they do not seek to understand God’s will, but only ask God to give them a quick cure, and take away the torment of their sickness; moreover, there are also some people who always ask God to bless their families, their relatives, their everything, and so forth. All of these prayers are unreasonable, without submission, and do not conform with God’s will.
Mentioned above are the four principles of praying to God and imploring God. So long as we grasp them, practice and apply them in our real life, we shall obtain enlightenment and illumination from God, understand God’s will, and receive God’s guidance and leadership.
Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?
I pray to the Lord every day, and especially the morning prayer and evening prayer, are essential parts of my everyday life.
Moreover, I constantly persist in doing it like this. But many times, even though I pray to the Lord, I am unable to feel Him, and I obviously feel that the Lord doesn’t hear my prayers. Having prayed for many years, yet I feel that my life has no progress or change. Therefore, I have no faith unknowingly. I don’t know why is this so. Can you tell me how to pray in accord with the Lord’s will?
The situation you said is generally existing in our church. Why does the Lord not hear our prayers? As for the reason why, mostly, it is because our prayers are not in accord with the Lord’s will. To understand how to pray in line with the Lord’s will, we firstly need to know what types of prayers are not commended by the Lord. Next, let’s seek and discuss it together. May the Lord lead us!
1. Half-hearted Prayers Can’t Be Heard by the Lord
Sometimes when we wake up, we may pray like this, “God, today, I commit my entire day to You. I am willing to let You guide me throughout the day. Please watch over me so I do not encounter any evil or temptation. Let me live in the radiance of Your countenance. May God bless me. Amen!”
We also often pray in this way, “Jehovah God, You are the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things. You control human destiny. Lord Jesus, You are our Savior. You shed Your blood on the cross to cleanse us of our sins. You no longer see us as sinners. You see us as righteous. Therefore, you do not define our misdeeds as sins. No matter how corrupt we are or how we sin, You forgive us. Lord Jesus! Your words are our guiding light. You are our everything. You are our Lord. We are Your sheep. You watch over and keep us every day. You bless our parents, our children and our families.” However, though we kneel down, our mouths speaking unceasingly, yet our hearts are closed to God, and what we say is not what is in our hearts. We are just talking to ourselves, talking into thin air. We don’t care at all whether the Lord is pleased with it. So, even though we pray once in the morning and once in the evening, and sometimes we even pray for one or two hours, we have no results at all.
Our half-hearted prayers are not heard by the Lord, because we are deceiving Him. It is said in the Book of Isaiah, “For as much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Because such prayers are not devout, and we don’t treat the Lord as the Lord should be treated, but treat Him as if He were empty air, thus we can’t receive the work of Holy Spirit, nor do we have the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. As a result, though we have prayed to the Lord for many years, we have produced nothing. We still live in the state of sinning each day and confessing each night. We can neither see any changes to our life disposition nor live out the decorum of the saints.
2. Going Through the Motions of Praying to the Lord Is Not Heard by Him
Sometimes we rush to do things or to go to work, and even if we pray, we are going through the motions. For example, sometimes we pray like this, “God, I entrust You with this matter. I entrust You with my children and parents. I entrust You with everything. God, please bless and protect me. Amen!” Our prayer is as quick as a rabbit. Our hearts are impatient. The prayer consists of only a few sentences and it is over. Sometimes we pray to the Lord thanking Him for the food, but we have to rush off to work, so we pray quickly, “God, You have blessed me with this meal. You have given me this meal. I will never forget Your grace. I will not forget your love for me. I pray in the Lord Jesus’ name, Amen!” We speak some words in a hurry and the prayer is over again. There are also times when we realize our children don’t obey us, we close our eyes and pray, “Lord, I entrust this child to You. I cannot discipline him. He does not obey me. I give the child to You. Lord, You are almighty. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen!” But after prayer, we go our own way. Such prayers are going through the motions. God says, “People believe in God, love God, and satisfy God by touching the Spirit of God with their heart, thereby obtaining His satisfaction; when engaging with God’s words with their heart, they are therefore moved by the Spirit of God.” We don’t use our hearts to pray but go through the formalities, and if we always pray in this way, our prayers will become religious ceremony, which is going through the motions for the Lord, is deceiving the Lord, and can only be despised by God.
3. Praying With a Tone of Doubt Is Not Heard by the Lord
Each of us believers longs for the Lord’s coming. Sometimes we may pray like this, “O God, You promised to lead us into the kingdom of heaven and reveal Yourself to us. You promised to raise us up to meet with You in the air. Why haven’t You honored this promise yet after all this time? Why is this?” When we are sick, if our illness is not be healed, we will pray, “O Lord, I rely on You truly. Why do You not heal my illness?” When we quarrel with someone, or somebody bullies us, we will pray, “O Lord, this man is so wicked. Why do you not discipline or punish him?”
This type of prayer is also not approved by the Lord. Why do we say so? Because when we pray like this, we are questioning God and treating God as our equal. God is the Creator while we are created beings. We can never be equal with God. If we talk to the Creator like that, our relationship with the Lord is improper. Besides, we will never receive the Lord’s approval.
4. Praying With Motivations to Make Deals With the Lord Is Not Heard by Him
There are many behaviors like that. For example, when we fall ill, we will pray in this way, “Oh God! You must save me! I beg You to get rid of this illness, to get rid of this cup of suffering as soon as possible! You must cure me.” Sometimes when we face disasters, we may pray, “God, if You save me and keep me from disaster, if You don’t let me die, I will offer my whole being to You.” When we sink into spiritual darkness or are incapable of feeling the Lord, we will pray, “O Lord, I’ve believed in You for twenty or thirty years and sacrificed much for You! I gave up a good job for You! I didn’t earn any money for twenty plus years! I’ve eaten bland food and worn ordinary clothes! I’ve suffered persecution, tribulation, ridicule and slander, all for Your sake! Today, I hope You can raise me into the kingdom of heaven when you return, but I’ve already waited all of these years without hearing anything or feeling anything from You. Lord, have You forsaken me? If You really have forsaken me, then You have no credibility!”
The above types of prayers don’t conform to the Lord’s intentions. Why is it said that such prayers are not approved by Him?
The reason why we pray in such way is because we want to use God to achieve our own ends, want to use our exertions and spreading the gospel, our sufferings, and the price we pay to exchange His blessings, to avoid disasters and enter the kingdom of heaven. We are making deals with God. When our intentions are wrong, people can see through us, no matter what we say. Thus, it’s even easier for God to figure it out by searching our hearts. In addition, as we don’t have true communion with God, our actions can’t accord with God’s will, and we don’t have a proper relationship with Him, prayers like these are not accepted by God. Just as the Lord Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity!” (Matthew 7:22-23).
Since the above are all not approved by the Lord, then how do we pray to conform to His will?
1. Quieting Our Hearts Before the Lord, Speaking the Words in Our Hearts, and Bringing Our Actual Difficulties Before the Lord
For example, when we realize our children don’t obey us, we can pray in this way, “Lord! Nowadays raising a child is too difficult. Without the truth I cannot teach the child, and the child won’t obey me! O Lord, humans are created by You. You gave me this child. Truly I see now that I don’t have the truth, nor am I what should be as a human, and I have no way to teach the child. I entrust this child to You and I am willing to rely on You to teach him!”
We already have enough money to get by, but we still want to earn more and enjoy more. We may pray to the Lord, “God, I now see that my heart is very covetous of wealth. Others are all able to forsake everything and be content with clothes on their back and the food on their plate. Why can’t I be content? Why do I still cling to wealth in my heart? Please God, I ask You to save me! I don’t care if You discipline me or if You use some other method, it’s all okay.”
Sometimes, we see some illegal actions of the pastors and elders, but we can’t see through them. Then, we can pray to God, “God, Your words reveal the Pharisees, but I cannot see through them clearly. On the outside they seem very devout, why can’t I see their essential hypocrisy? Especially their essential hatred of the truth, I can’t see through to that. So, in my heart I have always looked up to them and I always wanted to ask them if I came across problems. I also feel this is incorrect, but why can’t I let it go? Why am I unable to see through to their inner nature and forsake them in my heart?” Isn’t through this way of praying that we quiet ourselves before the Lord and converse with Him earnestly? It is just like how we would have a heart-to-heart talk with another person. In both cases, we are speaking from the heart, and we speak out our greatest problems. When God sees these, He will know we’re sincere and not trying to fool Him or sweet-talk and deceive Him. Then the Holy Spirit will do His work. So, after praying, we’ll feel brightened in our hearts, as if a burden has been lifted.
2. Praying to the Lord as a Creature of God, Making No Demands and Requests of the Lord, and Being Able to Obey the Lord Truly
If we get a serious illness suddenly, we will ponder inside, “Why do I fall ill? Will I get cancer? If it is God’s way of punishing me, if He wants me to die, then I will submit. If it is God’s way of refining me and cleansing me, I am willing to accept such refinement.” Then we will pray to God in our minds, “Dear God, if You want me to die I will submit, and I guarantee I will have no complaints. I was created by You and I have done many things that do not conform to Your intentions, and I should receive punishment for this.”
After such a submissive prayer, we will be moved very much, and will not be so constrained by future and destiny. Furthermore, we will have the will of obeying God within, and will no longer make any demands on Him. Why can such prayers be effective? It is because we put our positions right. We are standing in our places as a creation of God and having a submissive heart to pray to and seek God. So, later on, before we pray, we should think first and be fully prepared. Regarding the difficulties we face and the things we need God to clarify for us, we should develop a simple outline of how we should seek help from God, how we should fellowship with God. And then, we should find a suitable opportunity and the appropriate environment to kneel before God and pray. This way, it shall be easy to quiet our hearts before God and receive the work of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, our spiritual life can continue to grow.
4 Keys Help You Have Effective Prayers
Ever since we started believing in the Lord, we knew that praying to God and communing with God is indispensable to our spiritual life.
Because God’s word says, “Prayer is one of the ways in which man cooperates with God, it is a means by which man calls upon God, and it is the process by which man is touched by God’s Spirit. It can be said that those who are without prayer are dead ones without spirit, proof that they lack the faculties to be touched by God. Without prayer, they are unable to attain a normal spiritual life, much less are they able to follow the work of the Holy Spirit; without prayer, they sever their relationship with God, and are incapable of receiving God’s approval. Being someone who believes in God, the more you pray, the more you are touched by God. Such people have greater resolution and are more able to receive the latest enlightenment from God; as a result, only people like this can be made perfect as soon as possible by the Holy Spirit.” Here it is mentioned that a person without prayer is not someone living before God; anyone who does not pray has no spirit and vice versa. Prayer is the need of our spiritual life. When we read God’s word, praying can help us gain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, understand God’s will, and find the way of practice from God’s word; when we encounter dangers and adversities, it was through our prayer that God gives us true faith and courage. So to speak, the more we pray before God, the stronger our faith in God becomes, the more plentiful our understanding of the truth is, and the greater our resolves to love God are. Since prayer can produce such results, some people may ask: For our prayer to be in conformity with God’s will and achieve these results, what principles should we grasp? Now, I’d like to share fellowship on this specifically.
Firstly, the true significance of prayer to God is to understand the truth and attain obedience to God and worship of God. We must not, under any circumstances, engage in religious ceremony.
Praying is one way to worship God. If our prayers are to be effective, firstly, we must find the way within God’s word and understand the true significance of prayer. God’s word says, “Prayer is not a case of going through the formalities, or following procedure, or reciting the words of God, which is to say, prayer does not mean parroting words and copying others. In prayer, you must give your heart to God, sharing the words in your heart with God so that you may be touched by God.” “If you pray often and if you know how to pray, frequently praying submissively and reasonably, then frequently your state will be particularly normal inside. If you frequently pray with a few slogans and don’t have a burden, or ponder how you are speaking reasonably or unreasonably in your prayer, and what kind of way of speaking is not true worship, and if you are never serious about these matters, then your prayers won’t be successful and the condition inside you will always be abnormal; you will never deeply enter into lessons of what normal reason is, what true submission is, what true worship is, and where to stand. These are all subtle matters.” From God’s word we understand. When we pray, we must harbor right intentions, take an attitude of piety, and have a seeking, obedient heart. Only in this way can our prayers gain God’s approval and conform with God’s will. If we do not pray with seriousness and a quiet heart before God, but pray speaking a few words casually and insincerely, and even unreasonably demanding that God do this or that, then such prayers are not that obeying or worshiping God, but that conducting a religious ceremony and going through the motions. God never accepts such prayers.
Then what is the true significance of prayer? One’s prayer is not for the sake of his own fleshly interests, but rather it is to understand God’s word, to practice the truth according to God’s word, and to act in accordance with God’s will. The Lord Jesus said, “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Mat 6:33). Here we see that praying ought to be for the purpose of God’s work, for satisfying God, and for carrying out His will. Take Peter’s prayer as an example. No matter what things he encountered, he would pray with a submissive heart to seek out God’s will. He ceased to be his own master even in food, clothing, and shelter; instead, he strictly required himself to practice in accordance with the Lord’s word. So all his prayers were in concert with God’s will and all that he did could glorify God. Eventually, he was perfected by God, and became a person who was truly obedient to God and who had real worship of God. But the Pharisees’ prayers were completely different. Their prayers were entirely for the sake of maintaining their status and livelihood, for establishing and exalting themselves. Moreover, in order to deceive those ignorant common people into worshiping and obeying them, they purposely stood in the synagogues and at crossroads to engage in long prayers. Therefore, the Lord Jesus criticized them by saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation” (Mat 23:14). Through the word of the Lord Jesus, we can see that the Pharisees’ prayers were hypocritical and religious. God does not approve of but despises such prayers.
Secondly, we must draw upon our practical difficulties and problems when praying to God. We must not depart from reality and speak empty words, or talk of letters and doctrines.
In our real life, we always encounter all kinds of difficulties. At this time, how should we pray to God? God says, “The lowest standard that God requires of people is that they be able to open their hearts to Him. If man gives his true heart to God and says what is really within his heart to God, then God is willing to work in man; God does not want the twisted heart of man, but his pure and honest heart. If man does not truly speak his heart to God, then God does not touch man’s heart, or work within him. Thus, the most crucial thing about praying is to speak the words of your true heart to God, telling God of your flaws or rebellious disposition and completely opening yourself up to God. Only then will God be interested in your prayers; if not, then God will hide His face from you.” God’s word points out a way of practice to us. When we face practical difficulties, we must pray before God with an attitude of godliness, and opening up our heart to Him: Speak the words of our heart with honesty; do not speak empty or fakery words or lie to deceive Him. But if we shut our hearts to God, and just say some high- and nice-sounding words to deceive God, then God cannot see our honest hearts, and so He will not approve of such prayers. For example, some people pray to God, “Oh God! I am willing to dedicate my whole self to You. I am willing to devote all that I have to You!”, but afterward they do nothing for God. Some people say, “Oh God! I’d like to expend for You and to offer my heart to You. I’d like to serve You and be loyal to You,” but after saying that, they still rebel against God as they did before, is this not deceiving God? Some people pray to God, saying: “Oh, God! I am willing to forsake everything to follow You,” but having prayed, they give nothing up. Some people say to God, “Oh, God, I will love You my whole life long,” but actually, they never love God in their life—what they love are themselves, their flesh, their children, and their money. Look at these prayers. They are all empty words deceptive to God. This is sufficient to prove that we are too impious before God, and that we do not have a God-revering heart at all. God doesn’t listen to our prayers like this, so they are fruitless. If we do not repent but continue praying in this way, we will be detested by God.
Thirdly, we must frequently pray to God about the problems of performing our duty and entering into life, seeking to understand the truth and enter reality.
When expending for God in fulfilling our duty, many brothers and sisters believe that as long as we confess our sins and repent more in our prayer before the Lord, spread the gospel for the Lord more, do more work and preach more sermons, then we will conform with God’s will and be praised by God. But in fact, it is not. Such practice is wrong. Because in fulfilling our duty, there are still lots of problems and situations to be really resolved. God’s word says, “When fulfilling your duty or working on something, you should always think: How should I fulfill this duty? What is God’s intention? Through matters, you draw close to God, and through drawing close to God, you seek the principles and truths to do things, you seek God’s will from within and do not leave God in all that you do. This is a person who truly believes in God. … Human ideas usually look good and right to people and they look like they do not violate truth that much. People feel that doing it this way is putting truth into practice, they feel that doing it this way is submitting to God. Actually, people are not really seeking God and praying to God about this. They are not striving to do it well to satisfy God’s will, nor striving to do it well according to His requirements. They do not have this true situation, and they don’t have such desire. This is the greatest error people make in their practice, because you believe in God, but God is not in your heart. How is this not a sin? How is this not deceiving yourself? What effect will believing this way have? Where is the practical significance in believing in God?” From God’s word we can understand that the fulfillment of the duty is a path by which our life may grow. Duty is entrusted to us by God, and we should develop a true burden for it. When we fulfill our duty, it is not the case that as long as we accomplish things that God has entrusted to us, then we are satisfying God. If we do not seek to solve the difficulties and problems in our duty, can we satisfy God? Therefore, we should ask and pray more before God, find a way to practice in His word, and fulfill our duty according to His requirements. We also should at all times reflect on whether we have our own thoughts adulterated in the fulfillment of our duty or whether we are doing something that betrays the truth and principles, and after we find them we should turn around timely. If we can seriously treat everything God entrusts to us like this, then our life will grow in the course of fulfilling our duty, and our corrupt disposition will gradually be cleansed and changed. In fact, not only should we focus on practicing God’s word in fulfilling our duty, but we should live by God’s word in our work and daily life. Only when we always practice in this way, can we understand the truth and enter into its reality, change our life disposition, and become a person that is commended by God.
Fourthly, there must be reverence for God in our prayers, and we must be reasonable. We may not make demands of God, coerce God, or take advantage of God, much less may we make trades with God.
God’s word says, “You should seek and submit in your prayers; for example, if a matter came upon you that you didn’t know how to handle, then you say: ‘Oh God! This matter has come upon me, and I don’t know how to handle it. I am willing to satisfy You in this matter, I am willing to seek You, I desire for Your will to come to pass, I desire to do according to Your intentions, and not according to my own. You know that the intentions of man are in violation of Your will; they resist You and do not conform with truth. I only desire to do according to Your intentions. I ask You to enlighten me and guide me in this matter, so that I won’t offend You….’ This kind of tone of voice in prayer is appropriate. If you merely say: ‘Oh God, I ask You to help me and guide me; prepare a suitable environment and suitable people for me, so that I can do well in my work,’ when this kind of prayer is over, you still don’t know what God’s will is, because you are trying to make God do things according to your intentions.” God’s word gives us a way to practice praying to God. When we pray, we should stand in the right position and be reasonable; we should not make demands of God, or coerce God into doing this and that. No matter what kind of difficulties we meet, or whether we understand God’s will, we must pray with reverence for God, standing in the position of a creature and keeping a heart of obedience to God. Take the Lord’s prayer as an example. Before the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus prostrated Himself on the ground and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as you will” (Mat 26:39). From this we can see that even when the incarnate God prayed to the heavenly Father, He still maintained an obedient heart, completely acted according to the will of God the Father, and had no choice of His own. But in real life, our prayers are not reasonable. We often demand God do this or that to achieve our own aims without the slightest reverence for God. We force our own desires upon God and ask Him to do things in accordance with our ideas. And we demand things from God with the intention of conducting transactions with God. For example, in the face of difficulties, many people do not care about God’s will, but only pester Him with incessant prayers that include assistance for solving their problems; when some people encounter sickness, they do not seek to understand God’s will, but only ask God to give them a quick cure, and take away the torment of their sickness; moreover, there are also some people who always ask God to bless their families, their relatives, their everything, and so forth. All of these prayers are unreasonable, without submission, and do not conform with God’s will.
Mentioned above are the four principles of praying to God and imploring God. So long as we grasp them, practice and apply them in our real life, we shall obtain enlightenment and illumination from God, understand God’s will, and receive God’s guidance and leadership.
How to Pray in Line With God’s Will
Prayer is a channel through which Christians can call on God and interact with God, and it is the most crucial link through which Christians may establish a normal relationship with God.
Prayer that is in line with God’s will can enable us to obtain God’s enlightenment and guidance, understand God’s will, and have a path of practice. In life, however, many brothers and sisters feel that, when we pray, all we need to think about is asking God for the things we want. We have no idea whether God listens to our prayers or not, and we feel dull and uninspired when we pray. If our prayers do not earn God’s praise, then we are unable to feel His presence, our spirits sink into darkness, we lose our normal relationship with God, and we are unable to obtain His enlightenment and guidance. So how then can we pray in line with God’s will and so that God will listen? Here below we share the three principles of practice of how to pray in line with God’s will.
1. Have a Sense of Reason Before God, and Pray to God With a Seeking and Obedient Heart
First, let’s take a look at how the Lord Jesus prayed. Back then, the Lord Jesus knew that He was to be crucified and that His flesh would soon suffer great pain. He felt very distressed, and He prayed to God, saying, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). The Lord Jesus prayed this way three times in the Garden of Gethsemane and He was able to grasp what God intended for Him; no matter how much pain He would suffer upon the cross, He was willing to obey completely. Afterward, in order to fulfill the will of the heavenly Father, He endured pain, mockery and verbal abuse until, finally, He was crucified upon the cross, thus accomplishing the work of redemption of the Age of Grace. We can see from the Lord Jesus’ prayer that He prayed to God with a wholly obedient heart and a seeking manner, and He grasped what God intended for Him. He made no demands in His prayer to God, nor did He make His own choices; He merely prayed to be able to do His heavenly Father’s will and to do as God willed. The Lord Jesus was Christ, He was God Himself, and yet He prayed to God the Father and sought the will of God the Father from the standpoint of a created being. From this we can see that the Lord was so humble and that He possessed a sense of reason.
Now, let’s take a look at how we pray to God. We often pray like this: “O Lord! My family has encountered some difficulties. Please bring peace back to my family.” “O Lord! I’ve become sick and I believe that You will surely make me well again.” “O Lord! My business is not going well, and I believe that You will surely protect me and bless me….” “O Lord! My son cannot find a good woman. Please aid him and bless him….” When we pray to God, we always use the words “ask,” “make,” and “surely”; this is the tone we use when we pray, asking God to bless us, to arrange this or prepare that for us. So, are our prayers in line with God’s will? What does God think of our praying in this way? God words say, “You seldom have a true prayer, and some of you even don’t know how to pray; in fact, prayer is mainly about speaking what is in your heart, just like a normal conversation. However, some people take the wrong position when they pray, and regardless of whether it conforms with God’s will or not, they demand God to bestow what they ask for upon them. As a result, the more they pray the duller it becomes. When praying, whatever your heart asks for and desires, or when you wish to take care of some matters that you don’t fully understand you ask God for wisdom, strength, or enlightenment, you must be reasonable in the way you speak. If you are unreasonable, and you kneel and say: ‘God, give me power and let me see my nature; I ask You to do it. I ask You to give me this or that, I ask You to let me be like this or like that….’ this word ‘ask’ carries an element of force, and is like exerting pressure on God to make Him do it. … What will be the outcome of this kind of prayer?” (“The Significance and Practice of Prayer”). We can see from God’s words that, from the outside, our prayers appear to be us worshiping God and beseeching Him, but in truth our constant “asking” for things is impure and it is making demands of God. By praying in this way, we are also constantly asking God for things in return, asking God to satisfy our extravagant desires, strong-arming God into doing as we desire—this is not how a created being worships God. We can see that we have no sense of reason, much less a seeking, obedient heart, and so this kind of unreasonable praying is not in line with God’s will.
God says, “You should seek and submit in your prayers; for example, if a matter came upon you that you didn’t know how to handle, then you say: ‘Oh God! I don’t know how to handle this matter. I am willing to satisfy You in this matter, I am willing to seek Your will, I desire for Your will to come to pass. You know that the intentions of man are in violation of Your will; they resist You and do not conform with truth. I only desire to do according to Your intentions. I ask You to enlighten me and guide me in this matter, so that I won’t offend You….’ This kind of tone of voice in prayer is appropriate” (“The Significance and Practice of Prayer”). God is the Creator and we human beings are merely His creations; we are unqualified to make any demands of Him or to lay conditions on Him. When we pray to God, therefore, we must possess a sense of reason and we should take our proper place as created beings. We should magnify God, not make our own choices, demands or plans. We should pray to God in a seeking, obedient manner, wait for God’s will to be revealed to us and act as God desires—only praying in this way is in line with God’s will. For example, when we get sick, we should not constantly pray to God asking Him to heal us or asking Him to take our sickness away. Instead, we should pray to God with a seeking, obedient heart, and say, “O God! I know all things are in Your hands and that my getting sick now has Your good will behind it. I know that I am a sinner and that there are lessons I should learn in this sickness that has now befallen me. It’s just that I am ignorant, and I do not understand Your will. But I wish to seek the truth within Your words, submit to this situation, await Your enlightenment and guidance, and be able to act as You will….” By praying and seeking in such a reasonable way, God will listen, and He will enlighten and guide us with regard to the difficulties, confusion and problems that beset us, thus enabling us to understand His will and have a path of practice, and our relationship with God will also draw closer.
2. Be Pure and Open With God and Pray With an Honest Heart
Let’s now read a parable spoken by the Lord Jesus in the Bible: The parable of the Pharisee and the publican. The Lord Jesus said, “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you, that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote on his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:10–14). We can see from the Lord’s parable that He detested the Pharisee’s prayer and that He extolled the publican’s prayer. This was because, when the Pharisee prayed to God, he just flaunted all the good things he had done and all the rules he had followed. He did not, however, acknowledge any sin he had committed at all and neither did he truly repent to God, but instead he always wanted to conceal his own sins and show a false front to others. The Pharisee always spoke words that were pleasant and disguised in order to fawn on God and to take credit, to get God’s blessings in return, and to exalt himself whilst belittling others. He wanted others to see that he loved God more than anyone else, and thereby made others look up to him and idolize him, when in fact he was nothing but a hypocrite. It is evident, therefore, that the Pharisee simply did not possess a God-fearing heart, and that his heart was filled with deceit and not honest at all. Therefore, no matter how pleasant his words sounded when he prayed, God did not commend his prayer, much less listen to it. As for the publican, although he took money from the common people unlawfully, he was aware of his sins and so was able to come before God to sincerely repent and confess. With a pious heart, he spoke openly to God about what was in his heart and he spoke truthfully. He regretted his past evil deeds, and he asked God to take mercy on him and forgive him. The publican’s prayer was sincere and earnest, and therefore God commended him.
If we compare the Pharisee’s prayer with the publican’s prayer, which way of praying better represents how we ourselves pray? We often come before God and say, “O Lord! You were crucified to redeem us, and You suffered so much pain for us. I will do my best to love You and satisfy You…. In order to preach Your gospel, I have been arrested and imprisoned, I have done so much and suffered much pain, and I have supported and helped many brothers and sisters….” “O Lord! I wish to dedicate my all to You. I wish to spend my life expending myself for You and serving You faithfully….” and so on. This kind of praying seems to be filled with resolution, so that others can see how much we love God and how faithful we are to God. In life, however, our love of status, our love of fame and fortune and our love of vanity eclipse our love of God, and we can often tell lies and cheat others for the sake of personal profit. We are unable to put God’s words into practice and, even if we give things up and expend ourselves for God, it is just done to gain blessings and to gain a glorious crown—it is not done to sincerely pay a price for God’s sake. We just talk about our best side to God and hide our sins; this is clearly us trying to cheat God by using pleasant-sounding words and it is really us trying to make God aware of how much we love Him so that we can gain rewards and blessings from Him. And so, there is no difference at all between praying in this way and the way the Pharisee prayed. In essence, this way of praying is to speak falsely, boastfully and emptily in order to flatter and fool God, therefore how can praying in this way be in line with God’s will and be heard by God? The Lord Jesus said, “But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24). And God’s word says, “The lowest standard that God requires of people is that they be able to open their hearts to Him. If man gives his true heart to God and says what is really within his heart to God, then God is willing to work in man; God does not want the twisted heart of man, but his pure and honest heart. If man does not truly speak his heart to God, then God does not touch man’s heart, or work within him. Thus, the most crucial thing about praying is to speak the words of your true heart to God, telling God of your flaws or rebellious disposition and completely opening yourself up to God. Only then will God be interested in your prayers; if not, then God will hide His face from you” (“Concerning the Practice of Prayer”). God requires that we pray to Him with an honest heart, that we tell Him what is in our hearts and that we speak truthfully. He wants us to be able to confide in Him about our practical difficulties and problems, and He wants us to not hold back and be completely open with Him about the things we have done that are at odds with His teachings and which He loathes. He wants us to be able to truly reflect on ourselves, repent to Him and practice in accordance with His teachings. When God sees that we pray to Him and seek with an honest heart, He will listen to our prayers and will enlighten and guide us with regard to the issues we encounter so that we may come to understand His will and have a path to follow. When our work bears fruit, for example, we can’t help but engage in boastful talk before our brothers and sisters about how much work we have done, how busy we have been, and how great the results are, and so on. We do this so as to make our brothers and sisters hold us in high esteem and look to us; we do not do it to lead our brothers and sisters before God, but to lead them before ourselves, and this is something God most detests. At times like these, we have to come before God and emulate the publican to pray and repent to God, and say, “O God! In my sermons lately, all I ever talk about is how I suffer and expend myself for You and, without me being aware of it, my brothers and sisters have all begun to look up to me. O God! I am wrong to do this, and I wish to repent to You. I ask only that You guide me so that, in my future sermons and work, I may deliberately exalt You and lead my brothers and sisters before You….” When we are pure and open about our own corruption in this way and we seek God’s guidance, God will then lead us, and He will enable us to know our own shortcomings, understand His will, minister to our brothers and sisters in accordance with His requirements, and lead them before God. Just as the Bible says, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11). When we understand what God requires of us, we can then repent sincerely to Him, and focus on exalting God and bearing testimony to Him in the future. By doing this, our work and sermons become more and more in line with God’s will, and this is the effect achieved by praying to God with a true heart.
3. Pray Out of Consideration for God’s Will and to Satisfy God, and Pray to Pursue the Truth and to Gain Life
Let’s now take a look at Solomon’s prayer. Just after Solomon became king, he prayed to Jehovah God: “And now, O Jehovah my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the middle of Your people which You have chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Your so great a people?” (1 Kings 3:7–9). The Lord was well pleased with Solomon for making such a request, and God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life; neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies; but have asked for yourself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to your words: see, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like to you. And I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like to you all your days” (1 Kings 3:11–13). From Solomon’s prayer and the promise made by Jehovah God, we can see that God shows incredible kindness to and bestows blessings upon those who show consideration to His will. When Solomon prayed to God, he did not make any request for the sake of his own fleshly interests, asking God to bestow on him greater wealth, or to grant him long life or good health. Instead, he asked God to bestow wisdom upon him, so that he could rule well over God’s people so that the Israelites may better be able to worship God and obey God, and this kind of prayer made God well pleased. God therefore blessed Solomon, and not only did Solomon obtain wisdom and intelligence, but God even bestowed on him the riches and honor which he had not prayed for.
When we compare the way Solomon prayed and beseeched God with what we pray to God every day, we see that most of the time we pray to God saying, “O Lord! Please make my business go well and flourish.” “O Lord! Please let my son do well in his exams and get into a good college, and my daughter marry a good man.” “O Lord! Please may You protect my family from sickness and disaster, and bless us with peace and happiness.” “O Lord! Please heal me of my sickness.” We see that we only pray for the sake of our own fleshly interests, and we beseech God for things to eat, things to wear, and so that we may enjoy many blessings. Very rarely do we pray out of consideration for God’s wishes or to do His will, nor do we desire to satisfy God or love God, but instead we just pray to use God to fulfill our needs, constantly asking God for grace and blessings in return. We never understand God’s heart, much less can we treat as urgent that which God treats as urgent or think as God thinks. When God does bless us, we give Him our thanks and our praise, but when God does not assent to what we ask of Him, we then complain and blame God.
The Lord Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31–33). From these verses we can see what to pray for from God that He will accept. God does not want us to always be praying for physical things like food and clothing, for God prepared these things for us long ago and we do not need to worry about them. All we have to do is submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements; it is totally meaningless to pray to God asking for these physical things, and it is of no benefit at all to our life progression. God hopes that we will pray for the sake of pursuing the truth and gaining life, for God’s gospel to spread throughout the world, that God’s will may be carried out on earth, and for us to be able to do our church work well so as to satisfy God’s will. We may also pray to God asking Him to give us the responsibility of ministering to the Lord and that we may be granted God’s guidance when we are supporting and helping our brothers and sisters, and we may also pray to understand more truths within God’s words. When we encounter persecution and adversity in the course of preaching the gospel, we should pray to God to give us faith and strength to spread the gospel of the heavenly kingdom, to not be constrained by the forces of darkness, and to not capitulate no matter how painful or difficult things get. When we are working and giving sermons, we should be considerate of God’s will and pray to God asking Him to enlighten and guide us to understand His words, pray that we may be able to fellowship about His will and His requirements, to enable our brothers and sisters to be able to put God’s words into practice and experience His words, and to lead them before God to magnify God. When we reveal our arrogant and self-righteous corrupt disposition in our interactions with other people, we should pray not to live by our corrupt dispositions. When our wild ambitions and desires creep into our speech and actions, we should pray to forsake our flesh, to practice the truth and to be honest people. When we are slipshod in our service to the Lord, we should pray to accomplish God’s commissions with all our heart and mind. When disaster strikes, whether natural or man-made, we can pray to God to give us faith and strength, to not blame or misunderstand God, but to be able to submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements, and to stand witness for God…. By praying often to God and beseeching Him in these ways, God will hear our prayers and will lead us to understand the truth and to understand His will, He will give us the path of practice, and our lives will mature. This is an important principle of practice for Christians to pray to God in line with His will.
The above are the three principles of practice of how Christians can pray in line with God’s will. As long as we frequently train ourselves and practice these three principles, I trust that we will be able to obtain the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to understand and gain more truths, we will be able to establish a normal relationship with God, and God will hear our prayers!
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD
Sunday, February 4, 2018
WORD of the DAY
When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick…and he drove out many demons…Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. (Mark 1: 30-38)
How shall I live this…
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