As we have seen, the first two factors for the Christian meetings are the mingled spirit and the word. In this chapter we want to see two more factors: praying and singing. The home meetings need much prayer and much singing. If we are really filled and saturated with the Spirit and the word, we will be persons praying unceasingly and singing all the time. Praying and singing come out of our being filled with the Spirit and saturated with the word. We must be men of the Spirit and of the word. Then spontaneously we will be praying and singing persons. These four factors are present in our experience to some extent, but that extent is not so high. We take care of the Spirit, but not that much. We learn the word, but not as much as we should. We may pray every day, but we do not pray unceasingly. We may sing and praise, but we do not sing and praise all the time.
Our daily living needs to be saturated with the Spirit, the word, prayer, and singing so that we can be strong, living, new, and fresh to take care of the home meetings. The home meetings always need people who are fresh, living, excited, and even exciting. We need to be an exciting factor in the meetings to make the others excited. Only the four factors of the mingled spirit, the word, praying, and singing can constitute us into such a person. We need to fan into flame the gift of God which is in us (2 Tim. 1:6).
We must learn to pray all the time. We need to call on the name of the Lord throughout the day and talk to the Lord. We can talk to the Lord by using short sentences as part of our unceasing prayer. We can pray, “O Lord Jesus, be with me,” or “O Lord Jesus, help me.” At least we need to keep a praying spirit all the time. During every occupation we can pray, and we have to pray. This prayer will make us men of God. Prayer is the very means through which we contact God.
God created us in a marvelous way. He created us with two ears for us to listen. He created us with two eyes for us to see. We need to eat, so God created us with a mouth. We need to speak, so God created us with a tongue and with vocal cords. We need to digest our food, so God created us with a stomach. We need to breathe, so God created us with lungs. God created everything with a purpose. He created us with a spirit for us to pray. Even unbelievers will pray at certain times, especially when they are in distress or trouble. The Chinese may say, “O heaven help me!” This is their prayer. The Lord Jesus used heaven as a symbol of the highest authority, the almighty God (Luke 15:18). At certain times, unbelievers will pray, “O God, help me!” We do have a praying organ within us, and we do have a praying intent, a praying desire within us. Many of us can testify that the most enjoyable time is the time of prayer.
We fallen human beings like to talk more than pray. We may say that we do not have time to pray, but we may have much time to talk on the telephone. To some people, the telephone is like sticky fly paper. When some people touch the phone, they get stuck to it. Many Americans cannot live without the telephone. The telephone is like breathing to them. They may not have time to do anything, but they always have time to talk on the phone. Too much talk on the telephone will kill your prayer life. When we come together with some saints, it is better to pray and reduce our talk. We all like to talk, but we need to turn our talk to prayer. Too much talk kills, but praying enlivens. When we pray for only five minutes, we get enlivened and we become powerful.
Whenever I go to speak, I must prepare myself by prayer. The secret of giving a proper message is the first sentence of that message. If the first sentence is uttered properly, the entire message will be right. The way to have the first sentence uttered properly is by the preparation of prayer. I must pray before the message. Likewise, when we go to the homes, we must pray first. Many of the saints who have gone out to visit people by knocking on their doors can testify concerning the power of prayer. Sometimes during their visiting, the doors would not open to them, so they stopped to pray. After their prayer, the first door opened to them and the ones there were baptized. Prayer can maneuver, direct, and control the environment. We have to be praying persons.
We need to be those who pray before the meeting. To pray before the meeting we must be a praying person who prays unceasingly (1 Thes. 5:17). We need to pray unceasingly by calling on the name of the Lord. According to Acts 4:31, we also need to pray in the meeting: “And as they were beseeching, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.” In the meetings it is good to call on the Lord’s name, pray-read the Word, and pray the verses of the hymns. But we also need longer prayers and shorter prayers in our meetings. We need all kinds of divine, living expressions. We need singing, shouting, repeating, calling, and proper long or short prayers.
To pray at the beginning and at the end of the meeting may stir up, strengthen, and enrich the meeting. The more prayer there is in the meeting, the better. We may pray at the beginning and at the end of the meeting, but we should not make this something legal or formal. During the meeting, proper prayer may also render help to the meeting. We do not pray during the meeting often, but a proper prayer during the meeting may be very helpful. When we pray in this way, we should have the assurance that our flesh is not involved. In public prayer, it is possible for us to make a show in our flesh (Matt. 6:5-6). This has to be condemned. We must be fully in the spirit in a pure motive without any intention to express or glorify ourself. Our prayer in the meeting should not be formal nor should it always be by certain persons. In certain localities, I saw that only one or two brothers would pray. In every meeting, all the saints knew that these two would pray. We have to charge the saints to pray and lead them into prayer in the meeting.
We should always pray by exercising the spirit (Eph. 6:18; 1 Cor. 14:15a). Exercising the spirit means not waiting for the Spirit’s inspiration but taking the initiative by pushing our spirit to pray. Whenever we pray, we should turn to our spirit, exercising the depths of our being.