Scripture reading:
John 4:24: “God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and reality.”
Jude 20: “praying in the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 6:18: “praying...in spirit...”
Romans 8:26: “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us...”
We know that the existence and operation of the universe and everything in it is governed by laws. If we want to do anything effectively we must keep the particular laws of that thing. Concerning prayer, there is an iron-clad law: prayer must be in spirit; for in praying you pray to God, and God is Spirit. If you pray in the mind, emotion, or will, but not in spirit, you cannot touch God nor pray into Him. These faculties cannot get you through to Him. In order to touch God and pray into Him, we must pray in spirit. It is when the Holy Spirit utters prayers in and with our spirit that we can touch God.
Even a sinner who repents and prays to the Lord after hearing the gospel must pray from his spirit in order to touch God and be saved. Until that time he is not yet regenerated, and his spirit is still not quickened; but when the Holy Spirit moves him, enlightens his conscience, and causes him to repent, he prays from his enlightened conscience. Since the conscience constitutes a major part of the spirit, a prayer that comes out from the conscience is a prayer that comes out from the spirit. Having been enlightened by God as well as touched by the Holy Spirit, the conscience is convicted of sin. The cry that issues from such a condemning conscience is, no doubt, a prayer in spirit. Hence, such prayer can contact God, and there is an echo within us. However, there are some who pray when they first hear the gospel, yet there is no response. They have heard some doctrine, received some instruction mentally, and have made a confession before God according to their mind, but their conscience remained untouched. Such prayer cannot touch God.
As the children of God who have been regenerated and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within, our prayers must be in spirit to touch God and be answered. This is the first point about which we should be clear.
Since prayer should be in spirit, it requires the exercising of the spirit. One who never exercises his spirit does not know how to pray. For example, a runner must exercise his legs in order to run. A boxer exercises to concentrate the strength of his whole being into his fists. Those learning a language must train their tongue if they would speak that language. Learning to speak Mandarin is difficult because of the sounds which require rolling the tongue. This is difficult not only for foreigners, but also for those from the southern regions of China. Therefore, whatever we do, we need to train the faculty involved.
Likewise, if we want to pray, we must exercise our spirit. If someone cannot pray well and is not willing to pray, it must be because his praying faculty lacks exercise. Whenever an organ lacks exercise it ceases to function properly. Medical doctors tell us that if we cover the eyes from light for three years, when the cover is removed the eyes will not be able to see anything. Although the rest of the body may be strong, the eyes will have lost their function after such a long period of non-exercise. One time an illness forced me to take complete bed rest for six continuous months. After I recovered, I got out of bed and, to my surprise, fell to the floor. I found myself unable to stand or walk. I then realized that since my legs and feet had not been used for six months, they had lost the ability to stand. Therefore, I had to learn how to stand, and then, after a long period of exercise, I was able to walk again. Although you have the legs and feet, the organs for walking, they are useless unless they have been exercised. Similarly, the spirit is the organ for praying. In order to pray we need to exercise the spirit. Never consider that since we have a spirit, then surely we can pray competently. The fact is, unless our spirit has gone through some exercise we cannot pray and we will not enjoy praying. The less we practice something, the less we enjoy doing it, and the less we are able to do it.
Thus, if someone does not pray regularly and you ask him to pray, it is really a hardship for him. It is not because he has a lazy disposition; rather, it is that his spirit is lazy. To people who cannot walk well it is a real suffering if you compel them to walk. On the other hand, those who really enjoy walking will eagerly accept an invitation to walk somewhere. This is because their legs are very strong and agile from exercise. Some brothers and sisters have a spirit of prayer that is very strong and agile. Before you finish mentioning a matter, such a person will have begun to pray in his spirit. But there are some whose spirit of prayer is very lazy because they do not ordinarily use their spirit. Some are very strong-willed, so that when they encounter something it is not their spirit but their will that comes first. Others are very emotional, so that when something happens their emotion takes the lead. With others who are sober-minded and very quick to think, their mind takes the lead in any situation. But all who learn how to pray must exercise themselves to let the spirit dominate in every situation and not allow their mind, will, or emotion to take the lead. We need to train ourselves so that whenever we encounter some problem we can exercise our spirit immediately.
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