prayer

Prayer is the expression of the inner feelings through the mind; it does not originate in the mind. Prayer according to the will of God is only possible when we are in harmony with His will; it is not an exercise of forcing God to oblige man's emotions. Unless our emotions are dealt with, it is impossible for us to pray; prayers will not have a way to be released. Once we are under the control of our emotions, we will pray in a natural way according to our subjective desires; it will be hard to pray according to the inner leading. Therefore, we must touch the key to prayer. Whenever we find ourselves praying ineffectively, fruitlessly, and insufficiently, we must ask the Lord for light and seek to discover the cause. As we inquire of the Lord, we will reach a point at which we feel that we have gotten through, when something within clicks, and a still small voice within says, "That's it!" We have found the key to prayer. As we use the key and pray on, we can be assured that God will answer our prayer.

Isaiah 62:6 says, "Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,/I have appointed watchmen;/All day and all night/They will never keep silent." These watchmen are men of prayer. They have to be on watch tirelessly in order to know if something is happening and cry out when it does. A man of prayer must be one who reminds the Lord continually. This is not the work of one individual or a few men; there is the need for a group of men to pray this way. "All day and all night they will never keep silent." These are companies watching together, and together they discover something, and together they pray unceasingly to God. Their prayers do not cease "until He establishes/And until He makes Jerusalem/A praise in the earth" (v. 7). We must persevere in prayer until the Body of Christ is built up. God needs our prayers. He wants us to have a spirit of prayer, the atmosphere of prayer, and the key to prayer. Brothers and sisters, let us arise and learn to pray. Let us seek the key to prayer so that we may meet God's need today.

(Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 2) Vol. 38: General Messages (2), Chapter 14, Section 3)

You'll find several prayer meetings listed each week on our calendar. Please let us know if you're burdened to join us.