«　WEEK 3　DAY 3　»

　　Matt. 6:10 Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.

　　Luke 18:1 And He told them a parable to the end that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

　　How does the church bring the will in heaven to earth? It is by prayer on earth. Prayer is not as small and insignificant as some may think. It is not something that is dispensable. Prayer is a work. Prayer is the church saying to God, “God, we want Your will.” Prayer is the church knowing God’s heart and opening its mouth to ask for what is in God’s heart. If the church does not do this, it does not have much use on earth. (CWWN, vol. 22, “The Prayer Ministry of the Church,” p. 143)

　　The first step in carrying out His will is to pray out God’s will and utter His will through our prayer. From this we see that prayer is a work. There is no work more important than this work because prayer is the speaking of God’s will and the accomplishment of His will….Prayers that originate from our self-will are useless prayers. Prayers that are according to God’s will originate from God. He conveys His will to us through the Holy Spirit, and then we return the same thought to Him through our prayer. Prayers that are after God’s heart have God’s will as the starting point; man is merely the transmitting and responding organ. Prayer that originates from ourselves has no spiritual value. (CWWN, vol. 38, p. 284)

　　Many prayers for spiritual edification, prayers for fellowship, and prayers for supplication cannot replace prayers which are in the nature of work or ministry…. A prayer which is in the nature of work or ministry is one in which you stand on God’s side, wanting what God wants…. If a prayer is uttered according to God’s will, it is the most powerful thing. For the church to pray means that it finds out God’s will and speaks out this will. Prayer is not just asking God for something. For the church to pray means that it stands on God’s side to declare that man wants what God wants. If the church declares this, the declaration will be effectual. (CWWN, vol. 22, “The Prayer Ministry of the Church,” p. 143)

　　How many prayers are a setting aside of oneself and a seeking for the accomplishment of God’s will? How many believers …truly work together with God in prayer,… echo back to God His heart’s desire daily before Him and empty out their hearts to seek after God and to ask for God to accomplish what they understand as God’s will?… As saved ones we should live unto the Lord who died and resurrected for us. Therefore, we should henceforth live completely unto Him, not reserving anything for ourselves. Among all the things in our life of consecration, prayer should also be one consecrated item…. God’s intention is to accomplish His own will through the believers’ prayer. This does not mean that believers should not ask God to fulfill their needs. It only means that believers should first understand the meaning and principle of prayer.

　　God’s goal is that we be filled with His will to such an extent that we forget our own interest. God wants us to work together with Him to accomplish His will. The way to work together with Him is to pray. For this reason He wants us to abide in Him to learn His will in various matters and then ask according to His will.

　　To pray does not mean to change the mind of heaven. It is the greatest mistake to think that God is hard and stubborn and that we must use prayer to battle with Him until He yields to us and changes what He has predetermined. Actually, any prayer that is not according to God’s will is useless. Because God’s will has suffered a hindrance from either men or demons, we come before God (as if we are wrestling with Him), asking that He execute His will….Unless we really know what God’s will is, we shall not be able to work together with God in prayer. (CWWN, vol. 8, pp. 9-13)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 8, pp. 5-13; CWWN, vol. 38, ch. 41