Once a servant of the Lord said well that “prayer is the railroad track of God’s work.” What tracks are to a train, prayer is to God’s will. A locomotive does have great power and ability; it is able to run thousands of miles in one day. But if there are no tracks, the locomotive will not be able to move one inch. If it tries to move one inch, it will sink into the mud. It can go everywhere except where no tracks have been laid by man. This is the relationship between prayer and God’s work. We do not need to explain in detail. The meaning of the illustration should be obvious to all. Indeed, God is almighty. No one can oppose His work. However, if you and I do not work together with Him in prayer or prepare the way for His will through prayer or by means of all prayer allow Him the possibility to move in many directions, He will not work and cannot work. Today locomotives cannot pass through many places in interior China. It is not because their engines have no power, but because there are no tracks on which to run. God wills and wants and even delights to do many things. But because His children do not express their sympathy with Him or pray to open the way for Him, He is limited. All of us who are fully consecrated to God should consider if we are daily limiting Him. Thus, our most important work is to open the way for God. There is no other work more important than this. With God there are many possibilities. But if we do not open the way for Him, all will become impossibilities. Therefore our prayers in one accord with God should increase more than ever. Let us pray thoroughly – let us pray on all sides – so that God’s will will reach all directions. No doubt our activities among men are important. But before God, working together with Him by prayer is even more important.
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 and that His (predetermined) will not suffer through hindrances to His “permitted will.” If we really desire God’s predetermined will and if we have such prayer, such wrestling with God, and such resisting of any hindrance to His will, it will cause Him to carry out His predetermined will, not allowing anything of men or demons to (temporarily) come in the way. It is true that it appears that we are wrestling with God. Actually, this is for the accomplishment of His will. It is not that we have a certain idea and are trying to change His will. For this reason, unless we really know what God’s will is, we shall not be able to work together with God in prayer.
Source: The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 1) Vol. 08: The Present Testimony (1), Chapter 3. Read it online here.
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