The Earth Controls Heaven: Praying to Open the Way for God to Move Today

Many believers and unbelievers alike are wondering why is God not more real to people today, why is the world so corrupted, why is every new generation being more degraded than going higher than the previous one, and why are there so many wars, crimes, and evil things happening.

There is no general answer to these questions, but one thing we know: if God’s people don’t work together with God in prayer and if they don’t prepare the way for His will through prayer, God is limited in what He wants to do and He is hindered in the extent of His work.

The most important work of the church as the people of God today is to open the way for God, to pray in sympathy with God and His will so that God’s will may be done on the earth (Acts 6:4; 10:9).

God wants there to be peace in a country so that the gospel would spread, and He doesn’t agree with all the violence, corruption, war, crimes, religious fanatism, etc.

But who would rise up to pray for God’s will to be done on earth? Who will be the continuation of the “Moravian Brothers” who prayed round the clock generation after generation for close to 100 years?

Who would open to the Lord, put aside his own needs and desires, and join himself to God’s desire so that God would have stepping stone on earth, the tracks for Him to move?

Opening the Way for God to Move Today

In every age and, every country, and in every city God needs to have some people who stand in one accord to pray for His will to be done on earth.

God is almighty and He can do everything He wants, but if we don’t work together with Him to prepare a way for His will through our prayer, God cannot work and He will not work. He is like a universal giant powerful locomotive who cannot be stopped, but if there are no tracks, the train of God’s move cannot advance.

God wills, He wants, He desires, and He delights in doing many things on earth – but if we as His children don’t sympathize with Him, if we don’t pray to open the way for Him, He is limited. He respects our free will and He will never cheat us or deceive us as Satan does.

Satan has the ground to do so many things in the world today because he continually deceives man, luring him and cheating him with all kinds of lusts, pleasures, outward things, etc – so that man would give ground to the flesh and Satan may operate.

But there’s no work more important in the world than the believers praying to open the way for God. With God all things are possible – but if we don’t pray in oneness with Him, all things are impossible with man.

We need to rise up and pray thoroughly, pray on all sides, pray in detail, pray in one accord with God and with one another, so that God’s will may be accomplished in all directions.

It is more important to God and to us to pray than to work and do many things outwardly.

The Earth Controls Heaven

Our God is so great: He will never force us to do anything unless we agree with it. He won’t force us to do things for Him, and He will not force us to pray.

But when we see that God has a will, when we receive a vision of what He desires to do in this age, we will spontaneously react by praying for His will to be done.

In this way, God gains the echo-chamber on the earth – the church is like a giant echo-chamber, which echoes and responds in agreement to God for His will to be done.

God is restricted and limited by His children, and the heaven is controlled and limited by the earth. But when there is a group of people on earth that agrees with God’s will in the heaven, and they pray it back to God, He can come in and accomplish His will for His glory!

Here are a few examples in the Bible in this matter:

• The victory of Israel over Amalek was decided by God in the heavens, but unless Moses prayed and lifted up his hands to the heavens, this victory was not decided on the earth. When Moses prayed and lifted up his hands to the heavens, Israel won (see Exo. 17)!
• Whatever we bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven! If we two of us are in harmony on the earth with God’s will, whatever we ask it shall be done for us from our Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 18:18-19).
• God desires to increase the house of Israel with men like a flock, but unless the people inquires of Him to do it for them, He won’t do it (Ezek. 36:37). He wants to add to the church life people like a flock, but unless we ask Him to, He won’t do it! God wants the earth to control heaven!
• The Lord Jesus promised that He will send the Holy Spirit, but it was only after the disciples prayed in one accord for 10 days that the Holy Spirit was poured out (Acts. 1:14; 4:24-31; 12:5). When man is in union with God’s will and prays God’s will, He can accomplish what He desires.
• God gives us a blank cheque: whatever we ask the Father in Christ’s name as we abide in the Lord, He will do it for us so that the Father may be glorified (John 15:7). He tells us, ASK! Ask whatever you will! God wants us to ask, as we abide in Christ!
• God wants us to first ask, and it shall be given to us; He wants us to seek, and we will find; He wants us to first knock, and then He will open (Matt. 7:7). Why doesn’t He just give us? Why doesn’t He just open the door? He wants us to ask, seek, and knock – and He will give, be found, and open!
• God is the righteous Judge, and He wants to do justice, but unless we bother Him as the widow bothered the “unrighteous judge”, He won’t do justice for us (Luke 18:1-5). God wants justice to be done, and He wants righteousness to reign – but unless we bother Him about this, He won’t do it!
• We are like clay, and we are nothing, but we can ask God concerning His children, and we can command Him concerning the works of His hands (Isa. 45:11). He wants to accomplish something, and He cares for His people and His city – but we need to inquire, ask, and command Him!

The Principle of God’s Work and the Key to His Move

God doesn’t work in a wild way, unruly, or freely as He wishes – even though He could. God works according to a law, a principle.

The principle of God’s work is that even though God decides on a matter and He wants to accomplish something, He won’t do it immediately; He wants man to agree with Him and cooperate with Him by prayer, and then He will accomplish what He desires.

The key to God’s move is having man’s will in harmony with His will (Matt. 6:9-10; 26:39). Everything related to God and His will can be accomplished only when there is a group of people on earth who agree with Him, cooperate with Him, and are in harmony with Him!

God wants earth to control heaven, and He wants that man would decide what God decides and release His will on the earth! He gained this fully with the Lord Jesus, who paid the highest price by aligning His human will with God’s will (Matt. 26:39).

God wants some people today who want what He wants, will what He wills, and pray in agreement with Him! Even today, God is waiting for an echo to His will on the earth so that He may do what He wants to do.

The imminence of His return, the building up of the church as the Body of Christ, the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, peace in our country for the gospel, the spreading of the gospel of the kingdom, the salvation of more sinners, the gaining of shining lampstands in all the major cities on the earth, the sanctification of God’s name on earth, and the bringing in of God’s kingdom, all hinge on our prayer in accord with God’s will!

Don’t think that since you’re “busy in the things of the Lord” you’re doing the will of God; rather, stop and pray, join yourself to God’s will, and intercede for what is on God’s heart!

When God gains a sufficient number of His children to pray for His will on earth, when the earth decides, God acts! This harmony of the human will with the divine will is a great glory to God!

Lord, make us those who pray and listen to You that we may see what Your will is. Save us from limiting You or hindering You in the accomplishing of Your will. Lord, may Your will be done on earth even as it is being done in heaven. Gain many believers in all the churches that stand with You and pray one with You. Lord, gain stepping stones! Gain the tracks for You to move on earth!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from brother Minor Chen’s sharing in this message and portions in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on Prayer and the Lord’s Move, week 1 (entitled, The Significance of Prayer, the Principle of Prayer, and the Prayer Ministry of the Church).
• Further reading: The Collected Works of Watchman Nee (vol. 37, pp. 193-199). Also see, The Prayer Ministry of the Church (Watchman Nee).
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Make us those who meet Your need, the Nazarites. / Make us those through whom You’d close this age; / Who are one with You to bring the kingdom in, / Young people absolute for Your move.
  # Intercede! Intercede! For Your people, meet Your need! / Hallelujah! Get Your Bride this way. / Have Your way! Have Your way! Do a building work we pray— / Hallelujah—in our life each day!
  # We’ve seen the vision of Christ and the church. / Reckoned the cost; all things are but loss. / Will pay the price — give all of our lives.
• Pictures credit: both via Hidden Roots (facebook page).