Thinking of Prayer as Jesus Taught

Pray without ceasing . . . —1 Thessalonians 5:17

Our thinking about prayer, whether right or wrong, is based on our own mental conception of it. The correct concept is to think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues “without ceasing”; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops. And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that stops the offering up of prayer. “Pray without ceasing . . .”— maintain the childlike habit of offering up prayer in your heart to God all the time.

Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the unlimited certainty of knowing that prayer is always answered. Do we have through the Spirit of God that inexpressible certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when it seemed that God did not answer our prayer? Jesus said, “. . . everyone who asks receives . . .” (Matthew 7:8). Yet we say, “But . . . , but . . . .” God answers prayer in the best way— not just sometimes, but every time. However, the evidence of the answer in the area we want it may not always immediately follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?

The danger we have is that we want to water down what Jesus said to make it mean something that aligns with our common sense. But if it were only common sense, what He said would not even be worthwhile. The things Jesus taught about prayer are supernatural truths He reveals to us.

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照耶穌所說的去思想

不住的禱告。 （帖前五17）

我們對禱告的觀念，會影響我們對禱告態度的正誤。我們若視禱告如胸中的呼吸，如心中的血液，這就對了。血不停地流，呼吸也不間斷；我們雖不自覺，它卻一直在運行著。耶穌使我們與神聯合，我們未必時常感覺得到。若我們順服他，就知道他實在是時常如此。禱告不是一項活動，乃是生命。當心那些阻礙隨時禱告的東西。 [不住禱告]，保持赤子般的習慣，隨時在心中向神禱告。

耶穌從未提及落空的禱告。他確實知道禱告必蒙應允。我們有沒有靠著聖靈，有主耶穌對禱告那種不可言狀的信心？還是覺得神有時不聽人禱告？ [祈求就得著。 ]我們說：[但……但……]。

神永最奇妙的辦法應允禱告，不是有時聽有時不聽，乃是時時都聽。不過禱告得應允，未必是照我們所要得。我們指望神答允禱告嗎？我們的危險就是把耶穌所說的簡化，使之符合人的常理；其實若只是常理，就不值得說出了。耶穌所講的禱告，是超然的啟示。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，有太多的事需要祈求，有太多的人需要拯救。我何等渴望地仰望你。