Brothers, learn therefore, to live in life. We must admit that there are not many praying ones in our midst, and a number of brothers and sisters have a problem in their prayer life. The reason there is inadequate prayer is that there is a problem in life. Whenever there is a problem with life, there is also a problem concerning prayer. Hence, in order to pray, one needs to learn to always live in life. Studying, discussing, exhorting, encouraging, and solving problems are futile when there are not the genuine prayers. Only by learning to live in life can one have real prayers.

Take, for example, a local church that is having problems. You may, with all good intentions, wish to be a peacemaker to straighten out their problems by ironing out all their different concepts and ideas, thus making them one. These methods, being apart from life, are useless, and you would not have much real prayer. There is only one way for you to have real prayers that touch the throne regarding the problems of the church. That way is to live in life. The solution to the problems of the church hinges on your prayer. When there is the prayer of life, the problem is solved. Unless you live in life, your prayer will surely not last long, cannot be sincere, and is therefore useless.

Why is it that whenever certain ones pray for the gospel, immediately some souls get saved, while others pray continually, yet none get saved? The reason hinges on whether or not the praying ones are living in life. Some have told us, “You should go and work among a certain people!” Brothers and sisters, you may say this a thousand times, but it is still useless. Instead, we need men who live in life in all things. It is not a matter of having a natural view or making an ordinary observation, but a matter of learning to live in life. The result will be some real prayers in life. Such prayers are of the Lord, and they will be effective. Otherwise, regardless how hard you try to promote a matter, it is in vain.

All genuine prayers, prayers that touch the throne, issue from life. Please forgive me. I have seen many problems of the brothers and sisters in different localities, but I seldom pray for them, because I am short of life concerning those places. In other words, I do not have the capacity to take the burden. To take the burden means that in that particular matter you live in life. To make intercession is not an easy, light matter. It is not that I tell you, “Brother, please pray for such-and-such a church,” and you reply, “Okay.” Then as soon as you go home you kneel down and pray, “O Lord, have pity on the church there.” This is useless. And there will not be much prayer, anyway. Maybe after praying two or three times, you simply forget about it. And maybe after a month, you even forget that you have prayed for that particular matter.

To have genuine prayers means that you are able to take this matter into your life. It should be that while you contact that backsliding church, by touching the inner fellowship and consciousness, you are convinced that the Lord has placed the burden of the problem of that church in you. And, as you have this consciousness in you, you utter some kind of prayer. That kind of prayer you cannot forget, because if you do not pray, you bear a burden and do not feel relieved. Rather, you feel pressed and burning within. This kind of prayer is of life.

May the Lord cover me with His blood-I very much dislike a common saying in Christianity: “Please pray for me.” One day while I was at the airport for someone’s departure, I noticed some very modern, fashionable, and up-to-date people whose conversation and action produced an atmosphere that made others feel very uncomfortable. But when the time came for them to shake hands and say good-bye, they still could say to one another, “Please pray for me.” When I heard that, I felt nauseated. In Christianity this is a conventional phrase which is of little use. Every true prayer comes out of life. Anyone who is not in life surely is unable to pray.

In the Old Testament, Daniel was a praying one who lived in life, and that life was his prayer. Read those prayers of Daniel, and you can see that they were all in life. His living and his life were such that he could have prayers which were weighty before God. Likewise, after the Lord’s ascension, the one hundred and twenty prayed ten days and brought forth the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Many people bring up this matter today and encourage others to pray like them. But what is the use of such encouragement? You need to realize that they were able to pray for ten consecutive days because they lived that kind of life. The prayers of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels were also according to the same principle. He often went up to the mountain to pray because He lived that kind of life.

Prayer is altogether a matter of life. Hence, to learn the lessons of prayer, one needs to learn the lessons of life. Learn to have more dealings and adjustments in the matters of life Also learn to live in life and take the burden of life. Thus, there will be no need for others to exhort you to pray. You will spontaneously pray. The amount of real prayer one has is definitely determined by the measure of life within him.
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