Prayer of the Age

Last Lord's day I was asked to lead the saints in PSRP on the message on the prayer of the age just before the actual meeting began. The brothers who were assigned for the work could not make it at the last minute. So I and another brother had to take up the assignment impromptu. No issue at all. I took it as an opportunity to handle the word in season and out of season. By the Lord's mercy, I have the grace to be able to take up impromptu assignment even at the spar of the moment. Years of learning the truth in the church life have made this possible. The key point in the ministry of the word is the Spirit. As long as I exercised my spirit the word will be living and full of life supply.

The prayer of the age is the prayer of the church as the Body of Christ, the prayer that exercises the authority of Christ as the ascended Lord and Head of the Body, for the fulfilling of God’s economy—Isa.45:11; 62: 67; Ezek. 36:37; Matt. 18:18, 19. This is a direct quotation from the ministry outline. I was so enlightened to see the point in praying the prayer of the age. The principle of the prayer of the age is; firstly God has a need, then, He reveals His need to men who are one with Him and could discern His will, then such men pray back the will of God to God, and finally, God answers the prayer made according to His will. Here, the underlying point is, "God's will."

Now, many Christian misquoted the verse in the gospel of Matthew: 

Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens. Matthew 18:18-19

There is a need to pray a prayer as taught by the Lord Jesus, but not merely in being in harmony. Many Christians simply pick the point, "if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens." So they bring out their own will, share with other Christians and claim this verse. But they forgot to see the previous verse which says, "Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Here, the point again is, we can bind and loose on earth what God wills to bind and loose in the heavens. The will of God is predetermined. We have to exercise to be one spirit with the Lord to discern the Lord's will. And based on that discernment, we pray accordingly in harmony. Then, God will definitely aswer such prayers.  This is the principle of prayer and is also the prayer of the age.

This is a new light for me. Not merely praying in harmony with my fellow believers for whatever I want. I must first discern God's will, then pray in harmony with my fellow believers, then God will definitely answer such prayers. Two more examples are noteworthy:

When Moses was on the mountain, the Israelites won every time he raised his hands, and the Amalekites won every time he lowered his hands (Exo. 17:9 11). Who decided the victory at the bottom of the mountain? Did God decide or did Moses decide?...We have to see God’s principle of work and the key to His move. God cannot do what He wants to do unless man wants it. We cannot make God do what He does not want to do, yet we can stop God from doing what He wants to do. The victory was decided by God in heaven, but the victory was decided by Moses before men. Truly, God in heaven wanted the Israelites to win, but if Moses had not raised his hands on earth, the Israelites would have lost. When he raised his hands, the Israelites won. The earth controls heaven.

God has a purpose to increase the number of the house of Israel so that the Israelites would increase like a flock. Those who do not know God will say, “If God wants to increase the number of the Israelites like a flock, He could go ahead and do it. Who could stop Him?” But Ezekiel 36:37 says that God must be inquired of fi rst before He will accomplish it for them. This is a clear principle: Even though God decides on a matter, He will not do it immediately. He would increase the house of Israel only after they inquired of Him. He wants the earth to control heaven. (The Prayer Ministry of the Church, pp. 138-139)

This lesson on prayer has been so fresh to me. I shared it in the brothers' fellowship yesterday, and today I shared it in the prophesying meeting too. I am glad I am learning this lesson now. I need to pray in harmony with my fellow believers; not what I want to pray for but what God wants me to pray for. This connects my prayer to my being. My living should be in oneness with God to discern God's will. Only when I am one with God then can I pray the prayer of the age. Therefore, to pray effectively, I must be a man of prayer, one with God.

Lord, gain my life and my prayer life to pray the prayer of the age according to Your will.