The Key of the Greater Work

. . . I say to you, he who believes in Me, . . . greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father —John 14:12

Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a “wise” man does not (see Matthew 11:25).

Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, “I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . .” (John 14:13). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

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更大的事

我實實在在地告訴你們，我所作的事，信我的人也要作；並且要作比這更大的事，因為我往父那裡去。 （約翰福音14：12）

禱告不是裝備我們去做更大的事；禱告本身就是最大的事。我們往往視禱告為超然能力的操練，好預備我們做神的工。但按主的教訓，禱告是救贖的神蹟在我身上運行，以致神的大能可把這神蹟成就在別人身上。果子若要存留，必須藉禱告，但得記著禱告是建基在救贖的苦痛上，而不是自我的痛苦。惟有小孩子的禱告才蒙應允，明哲人反得不著。

不管你在什麼地方，禱告就是那要打的仗。不管神安排怎麼樣的環境，你的責任就是禱告。切勿這樣想：“我在這崗位上一無用處。”因為你不守住崗位，那才真是一無用處。神不論加給你怎樣的際遇，總要禱告，每時每刻向祂傾吐。 「你們若奉我的名求什麼，我必成就。（約翰福音14:14） 」我們激奮時才肯禱告，這其實是最嚴重的屬靈自私。我們要依著神的方向去做工，而祂說「要禱告」，「所以你們當求​​莊稼的主，打發工人出去收他的莊稼。”（馬太福音9:38 ） 」

勞苦的工作，沒有刺激興奮可言；但惟有藉勞苦做工的人，理想才得以實現。同樣，做工的信徒能使主的心意實現。你在禱告中勞苦，從神的角度看來，果效是不住實現的。將來當帕子揭開，知道不少靈魂因著你不住的順服而得救，那是何等的驚喜。