Prayer, like reading the Bible, is a practice that Christians should not lack. In a Christian’s spiritual life reading the Bible is like eating, and praying is like breathing. A person can go for several days without eating, but he cannot live even a few minutes without breathing. If a Christian does not pray, his spiritual life will be deadened, and he will not be living and strong. Breathing is necessary for the human body. If a person wants an active body, his breathing must be healthy. In the same way, prayer is a necessity for a Christian’s spiritual life. If a Christian wants to be fresh in spirit and strong in life, he must pray.
The life within every Christian is a praying life, and every life has a capacity and a desire to function in certain ways. The life within us has a praying capacity which enables us to pray and which also causes us to desire to pray. This inward capacity requires us to pray and causes us to have a desire to pray. If we respond to this praying capacity and pray often, this capacity will be developed, and its desire will be satisfied. Then the life within us will be strengthened to grow, and it will not be grieved. If we do not obey this life, it will be impossible for it to grow. Therefore, we must pray and practice praying.
Let us carefully look into different aspects of prayer according to the record of the Bible.
1. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41).
The Lord Jesus’ command in this verse shows the importance of prayer. Prayer keeps us from temptation. While we live in the world today, the devil tempts us with many things. He has the opportunity to tempt us in matters related to food and clothing, occupations, money, marriage, and many other matters. He is constantly looking for an opportunity to tempt us. If we want to avoid his temptation, we must pray. We must pray constantly concerning every matter. Whatever we do, we must pray. Whether our actions involve making friends, getting married, spending money, working, or dealing with friends and relatives, we must pray and diligently seek the Lord’s will. We must ask God what we can do and what we cannot do. We should also ask how we should do something and to what extent we should do something. We must have this kind of prayer in everything. We must pray even when we write a letter. We should ask God whether or not we should write and what we should write. If we watch and pray in every matter, we will be preserved by the leading of God and will not enter into the temptation of the devil.
When a ship sails on the ocean and encounters fog, it sounds a foghorn. On the one hand, this sends out a warning, but on the other hand, it receives an echo which directs its course. Today we are sailing in the vast ocean of this world. Sometimes we come across a patch of fog that makes it difficult for us to know the direction that we should take. At these times we should pray, as if we are sounding a foghorn, so that we can avoid danger and know how to move forward. If we do not, we will become lost in the fog, leave the proper course, and fall into error and danger.
2. “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil...by means of all prayer and petition” (Eph. 6:11, 18).
The devil, our enemy, always attacks us. We need to stand against him. We must put on the whole armor of God and have much prayer and petition to stand against him. We must rely on the armor of God to stand against the enemy through prayer and petition. Prayer and petition are the way to utilize the armor of God and to cause the armor of God to have an effect upon us. In order to withstand the enemy, we must put on the armor of God by means of all prayer and petition.
The devil is the enemy of God. However, God does not deal with the devil by Himself; He wants us to deal with him. He wants us to pray and ask Him to deal with the devil. God deals with the devil according to the prayers that we pray. God deals with the enemy to the extent of our prayer. If we do not pray, God will not and cannot deal with the devil. Therefore, the devil fears our prayer and hates our prayer to the uttermost. Brothers and sisters, the devil is afraid of our prayer! Our prayer causes the devil to tremble because our prayer can bind him and cast him out. When he sees us bend our knees to pray, he trembles in fear. He dislikes, even hates, our prayer to the uttermost. Therefore, he uses every means to block our prayer and to disturb us while we pray. Many times he takes away our interest in prayer and even depresses our heart of prayer. He makes us unable to pray and causes us to have no desire to pray. He knows that once we pray, he will be dealt with and suffer loss. We should see through his stratagems and stand against our indifference, our depressed spirit, and any outward distractions in order to pray and petition so that he would be bound and suffer loss.
The work that God wants us to do on the earth today, whether it is preaching the gospel, saving sinners, building the church, or building up the saints, involves casting out the devil. In order to be effective, these must be carried out with much prayer and petition. We must pray to deal with and cast out the devil so that we can carry out these works for God. Spiritual work requires spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare must be fought through prayer in order to be victorious. Prayer is necessary for spiritual warfare; it is also necessary for spiritual work.
3. “Everyone who asks receives”; “You do not have because you do not ask” (Matt. 7:8; James 4:2).
These verses speak of a principle: He who asks receives, and he who does not ask does not receive. This shows the importance of prayer. Prayer is necessary for us to receive God’s grace and blessing. If we want something from God, we must ask God; we must pray.
4. “In everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
In both large and small matters, we should let our requests be made known to God by prayer and petition. This implies that we must pray and petition concerning everything and for everything. We should fellowship with God, touch God, and seek His will concerning everything. We should touch God and His will in everything. Therefore, prayer is necessary in everything.
5. “Come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help” (Heb. 4:16).
As children of God living on earth today, we need God’s mercy and grace for timely help. We must come to the throne of grace frequently through prayer to obtain this grace and mercy. Timely help is help that arrives when it is needed. If we want to receive timely help from God, we must come to the throne of grace and contact God frequently. We can receive God’s mercy and grace for timely help by frequently touching His throne and contacting Him in our spirit. Praying at all times is important for receiving grace and mercy.
6. “Praying, and I saw in a trance a vision” (Acts 11:5).
As we pray, we see visions. When Peter was praying in the city of Joppa, he saw a vision and knew that God wanted him to go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Today we often see spiritual visions and receive revelation while praying. It is difficult for people who do not pray much to see visions and receive revelations. Visions and revelations are of God. Therefore, if we continually contact God, it will be easy to receive visions and revelations. Prayer has a special function in the matter of receiving visions and revelations.
7. “Call unto Me, and I will answer you and tell you great and hidden things” (Jer. 33:3).
When we call unto the Lord—when we pray—we not only receive an answer, but He also tells us great and hidden things. We can be directed by the Lord concerning a great and difficult matter, one that is not easy to understand, if there is sufficient prayer. When we have problems, we must pray to receive the Lord’s direction. When we pray, the Lord will direct us.
8. “Be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
Prevailing to escape the things which are about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man refers to escaping the coming tribulation and being raptured to the Lord. According to the Lord’s word, great tribulation will come upon the people of the whole earth at the end of the age. If we are watchful and beseeching at every time, we will be positioned to escape the coming tribulation on the earth and be raptured to be with the Lord. Watching and praying are very much related to our future; therefore, we should realize the importance of prayer and pay attention to it.
9. “Beware, be alert; for you do not know when the time is” (Mark 13:33).
Praying is important in our watching and waiting for the Lord to return. In the Bible the Lord clearly tells us that He will return, and He solemnly commands us to watch and wait for His coming. No one knows the day and the hour, so we must be watchful to wait for His coming. Prayer causes us to be watchful. Only a praying person can be watchful and wait for the Lord. If we want to be watchful and wait for the Lord, we should not be short of prayer.
10. “The end of all things has drawn near. Therefore be sober-minded and be sober unto prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7).
This verse tells us that the end of all things is near, so we must be sober unto prayers. The world and the things of the world that people rely on will pass away. They will all come to an end. Since the end of all things is near, we must be sober unto prayers in order not to be entangled and bewitched by the world and the things of the world that are passing away. Without prayer, we will not be able to come to the Lord, hope in the Lord, or wait for the Lord. Brothers and sisters, the end of all things is even closer; therefore, we should be more sober unto prayers. We must realize that as the end of the world and the things in the world draw nearer, they will entangle and bewitch people even more. Do we not see the influence of the world and the things in the world upon people today? People in the world are entangled and bewitched as never before. We can overcome this condition only by being sober unto prayers. Being sober unto prayers is especially important given the entangling and bewitching influence of the world and the things in the world.
11. “Continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
The ministry of the word requires accompanying prayer. Prayer comes first and then the ministry of the word. Without this order, the ministry of the word cannot be powerful. If we have not prayed, we cannot truly minister the word. If we minister the word without prayer, it will have no power or authority. If we want the ministry of the word to be with authority, we must pray. Prayer is especially important to the ministry of the word.
12. “Beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38).
If we want God to thrust out workers into His harvest to save sinners, we need to pray and beseech God. If we pray concerning this matter, God will thrust out workers to harvest souls through preaching the gospel. If we do not pray, God will have no way to do what He desires. There must be some who pray to open the way for God to carry out His work.
13. “I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them” (Ezek. 36:37; see also Jer. 29:10-14).
Ezekiel 36 not only speaks of God’s determination to increase the number of the house of Israel but also of the house of Israel’s need to inquire of Him in order for Him to accomplish His desire. Jeremiah 29 speaks of God’s determination that the captivity of Israel would last for seventy years and of how He would care for them and cause them to return to their own land. However, they had to pray in order for Him to accomplish this. These two passages of the Word reveal a principle: Even when God determines to do something for man, man still must pray before God will act. Whatever God does among man and for man comes out of His determination, but it must pass through man’s prayer. God’s determination alone is not enough; man’s prayer must be added. Therefore, when God determines to do something, His determination is anointed through the Holy Spirit into those who love Him and draw near to Him. Then His determination becomes a burden in them that can be turned into prayer. When His determination becomes man’s prayer, He hears and accomplishes it. If it does not become prayer, He cannot act.
For example, if God determines to save a particular person, but cannot find someone to pray for him, His desire to save will be frustrated. But if someone comes to God and contacts Him, His Spirit will anoint God’s will into him and cause him to have a feeling and a burden to pray for this person’s salvation. When he prays, God will listen and save the person whom He has determined to save and who has been cared for through prayer. This is a great principle of how God works for man. When God works for man, He works according to His heart’s desire and determination. He causes His heart’s desire to become the feeling and burden of those who are close to Him. He causes them to pray for the matter that He has determined in His heart, and then He hears their prayer and accomplishes the matter. This shows the importance of prayer. If God is going to do anything for man today, there must be some who are praying. God’s determination must be matched by man’s prayer before it can be accomplished.
14. “I sought a man...who would build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me” (Ezek. 22:30).
God sought a man among the Israelites who would stand in the breach before Him for the children of Israel. It is the same in the church. Those who are standing in the breach before Him for His people are those who are praying for His people. Only those who pray before Him can stand in the breach among His people. Many times a breach between the brothers and sisters, such as a problem in the church, requires prayer in order for the breach to be filled. Prayer fills the breaches in the church and solves the problems in the church.
15. “Concerning My sons, / And concerning the work of My hands, command Me” (Isa. 45:11).
This verse speaks of commanding God concerning His sons and His work. Commanding God is the highest kind of prayer. This kind of prayer is the highest right that we enjoy before God. God needs us to exercise this right and pray, commanding Him for His work on His children. When God wants to work on His children, He needs people to command Him to do what He desires according to His heart’s desire and determination. Prayer that commands God concerning His work can and should be practiced by those who know Him and His heart’s desire. Often this kind of prayer is necessary for God’s work.