In whatever we do, we need the life that corresponds to the accomplishment of that thing. It is a fact that only a particular life can do a particular thing. Prayer is no exception to that rule. Prayer is a matter that is extremely spiritual, holy, and transcendent; hence, it requires a particular life even more than other things do. In order to pray properly, we should not only pay attention to the outward behavior, but we should go deeper to know the inward life of prayer. When I was young, I read several books about prayer and received some help at that time. Gradually, as I advanced a few steps in the Lord, I realized the help was rather superficial and without much weight. More and more, I have come to know that prayer is not a matter of outward behavior, but is altogether something inward. Therefore, we must know the conditions necessary for proper prayer. We saw in chapter three that the man must be proper and right before God. There is also the need to pay attention to the inward condition of the man, that is, the life of prayer within that man.
After we have been saved, we have God living in us to be our life. This life is the life of prayer within us. The first function, the characteristic and the ability of this life, is to pray. Therefore, after being saved, the thing a proper Christian likes to do most is pray. For example, characteristically, a duck likes to swim in the water. If you send a little chicken and a little duck to the water, the chicken will run away hurriedly, while the little duck will quickly go in to swim. This happens because the characteristic of the love of water is in the duck’s nature. Similarly, the life of God within us has a characteristic that loves to pray. All real believers are like this. If they stop praying for three days, they do not feel good inside. If they stop praying for one week, they will feel even worse within. If they stop praying for a long while they will feel as if they have lost something or some dear ones have died. On the contrary, whenever they pray they feel good inside, because a characteristic of the life within them is that it likes to pray. It not only demands prayer, but it also has the ability to pray.
Actually, we cannot teach a person to pray. The most we can do is point out a way, for the real ability to pray is hidden in the life of a Christian. As long as you are a saved one, there is such a life with such a function within you. Yes, we do teach the brothers and sisters to pray; but please remember, we can only teach because within them there is already a life with such a function. For example, you cannot teach a dog to speak. No matter how hard you try it is futile, for within the dog there is no ability to speak. This ability is not found in the animal life, but only in the human life. If I am always conversing with an Englishman, I believe after five or six months I will be able to speak English very fluently. However, we may have cats and dogs in our homes that have been with us for years yet cannot speak one sentence because they do not have that ability within them. In like manner, no matter how hard you try to teach an unsaved person to pray, he still cannot pray, does not like to pray, and is bothered whenever he sees Christians praying. In fact, some friends told me that whenever they saw us kneeling down to pray, they felt quite embarrassed. They do not understand that we would have felt uneasy unless we did pray. The God Whom we have received has become our life within, and this life has a function; that function is to pray. As long as we do not restrict this life, but give it the liberty and the opportunity to be exercised, then not only does it desire to pray, it will pray.
Of course, just as man needs training for speech, he also needs training for proper prayer. Prayers will improve more rapidly with some guidance, but this is altogether a different matter. We need to see that it is God’s life within us that becomes our life of prayer. Therefore, if we desire to be a man of prayer, we must learn to always live in God. The more we live in God, the more the characteristic of this life will be manifested, and the more we will desire to pray. This life within us has a characteristic that makes us desire to pray, an ability that enables us to pray, and a demand that requires us to live in God. Therefore, prayer is a matter of life.
In helping new believers, we need to point out strongly that prayer is not just an outward activity but an inward matter of life. Prayer issues from the characteristics and abilities of a life, and this life is the very life of God. Hence, God requires you to always live in His life. Whenever the fellowship between you and God is interrupted, this life in you is in a half-dead state; consequently, you dislike praying and you are almost unable to pray. You must restore the fellowship with God and live in Him, thus causing the life within you to be resurrected. Thus, spontaneously you can touch the consciousness of prayer within, you have the desire and interest to pray, and you possess the ability to pray. You know what to say and how to say it, and you also know which word of prayer can touch God’s throne and hit the center of His heart. Others may not be able to teach you, but you know inside because this is a matter of the inward life. The life in you has the ability to enable you to pray. Of course, if you always pray with those who pray properly, you will automatically follow their manner of prayer. In the same respect, if you are always with Northerners, you will speak with a northern accent; but if you stay with Southerners for a long time, you will then speak with a southern accent. This is unavoidable.
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