Inquiring of God

When we learn to come to God and behold Him in a quiet spirit, we will spontaneously worship and praise Him. After worshipping and praising God, we must learn to inquire of God. We should ask if He wants us to pray about a certain matter. We should not immediately pray about different matters. Rather, we should first have a discussion with Him, asking Him if we should pray for a certain matter. All prayers should be initiated by God. He should be the one who initiates them within us.

Abraham’s intercession before God in Genesis 18 is a model intercessory prayer. God wanted to destroy Sodom; however, He wanted to save Lot, and He needed a man to intercede for Lot. Everything that God wants to do to man and every grace that He intends to bestow on man can be fulfilled only after man prays. This is an unchanging principle. God intended to save Lot, but He needed a man to pray. Who could He find? He could find only Abraham, a man who lived before God.

There are two precious portions in Genesis 18. The first is “Abraham walked with them [God and the angels] to send them away” (v. 16). This is a sweet word. God came to Abraham’s tent and visited him. Abraham ministered to God and fellowshipped with Him while God ate and drank in his tent. God spoke to Abraham concerning his begetting of Isaac. After that, God finished His business with Abraham and was free to leave. But while He was leaving, Abraham walked with God to send Him away. The Bible says that Abraham was called the friend of God (James 2:23). This is vividly portrayed when Abraham sent God off. On the one hand, God visited Abraham; He ate, drank, and fellowshipped with him as a friend in his tent. On the other hand, Abraham sent God off also like a friend. It was as if God said, “Abraham, goodbye!” Then Abraham seemed to respond, “Let me walk with You a distance to send You off.” They behaved like two intimate friends who were unable to part.

There are certain things that God does not reveal until we walk a distance with Him. If Abraham had not walked a distance with God that day, but had instead promptly parted with God, God would not have had a way to save Lot. When God visited Abraham, it seems as if He accomplished only that part of His business that pertained to Abraham; the part that pertained to Lot was still hidden in God’s heart. God’s heart was on Lot. He intended to judge and destroy Sodom, but His child Lot was still in the city of Sodom and needed to be rescued. However, God could not rescue Lot, because He needed someone who was one with Him to pray. In visiting Abraham, He settled the business He had with Abraham and was waiting for Abraham to do something for Him. But He did not say anything. When we visit friends, it is easy for us to tell them what we are doing for them. But it is not easy to ask them to do something for us. This was what happened when God visited Abraham. Although God wanted Abraham to do something for Him, it was not easy for Him to say anything, because He did not know if Abraham was willing to do it. He did not know whether Abraham was one with Him in His inward parts. It was as if God said that He was leaving, but Abraham would not let Him go; he walked with God. Then God stopped and said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Gen. 18:17). The sending away issued in something. God said that He was going down to see the situation of Sodom and that He was going to judge it. This word hinted at God’s intention to save Lot. He did not say this in plain words. Abraham was a man living before God, and he understood God’s heart. He knew that though God did not mention Lot, He cared for Lot. Here we find the second precious word: “Abraham remained standing before Jehovah” (v. 22). In the first precious portion Abraham walked with God to send Him away. In the second precious portion Abraham remained standing before God. While he was standing before Him, he prayed. This prayer was intercessory prayer. Such intercessory prayer is fully initiated by God and motivated by Him. It is conceived out of fellowship with God, out of touching His heart. Abraham began to pray for Lot, but he did not mention Lot’s name. It seems as if both God and Abraham were speaking in a riddle. How do we know that Abraham’s prayer was for Lot? In 19:29 we are told that when God destroyed Sodom, He rescued Lot on account of Abraham. Therefore, the subject of that intimate talk and riddle between God and Abraham was Lot. But God did not say that it was Lot, and Abraham did not expose it either. On the surface both were speaking about Sodom. Actually, they were speaking about Lot’s deliverance. Abraham’s intercession truly touched God’s heart.

I hope that we would see that as we breathe in God, we should learn to touch God’s heart. We should not bring many things to God, nor should we ask for many things. If we do, God will disappear, and we will not touch Him. We must learn to stop our being and touch the burden within God’s heart. The most precious prayers are those that are initiated by God within us. God knows all the matters that concern us. However, we must ask ourselves if we can say, “Lord, I believe You know all the things concerning me. Although I am in a difficult situation, You have not initiated anything within me, and I will not pray for this situation.” If in our prayer we can tell the Lord that we will not pray for any matter, we have learned a great lesson. At least we should pray, “Lord, You know that I am bearing a big burden. Do You think I should pray for any matter that concerns me?” We may then bring the matters to Him one by one. If there is an echo within when we touch a certain matter, we have touched God in that matter and can proceed to pray for that matter. But if God’s presence is not there, and there is no sense of God when we touch a certain matter, we should drop that matter. Whenever we pray, we should stop immediately when we do not touch God or sense His presence. We should no longer pray for that matter. However, as soon as we touch God, we should continue praying. We should pray for the items that bring us into His presence. No matter how many burdens we have or how many difficulties we face, we should never pray according to these difficulties. Rather, we should pray according to God’s initiation and presence. Prayer is fully a matter of man mingling with God. We should never utter a prayer in which we pray, but He does not pray. We cannot enjoy God in such prayers. We must have the confidence to say that He is praying as we pray. We must also have the confidence to say that our prayer follows His prayer and is directed by His prayer. In this way He bears us in His prayer, and He joins us in His prayer. Every word of our prayer touches Him, and we enjoy Him.

Brothers and sisters, no matter what the content is of such prayer, it is initiated by God. It touches God, and it mingles the praying one with God and joins him to God. The more a person prays this way, the more he breathes in God and the more God is added into Him. The result of such prayer is not only the accomplishment of the things prayed for—this is secondary. The main result is that when one prays this way, even in the process of his prayer, he receives God and enjoys God. The primary thing is that man gains God. The secondary thing is that man’s prayers are answered.

Allowing God to Finish Speaking

Lastly, one must learn the lesson of allowing God to finish speaking. This was what Abraham did. After Jehovah finished speaking, He left. We must learn the lesson of allowing God to finish speaking. We should not be afraid that this will take too much time, and we should not worry that this will delay our affairs. God cares for us more than we care for ourselves. He will not forsake us.

The importance of prayer is not in praying for things. The importance of prayer is in touching and absorbing God. Although we should have the faith that He will accomplish whatever we ask, this is secondary. We must learn to touch Him and enjoy Him. Our prayer should be directed by Him and joined to Him. The most crucial need among God’s children is to learn to pray by absorbing and breathing in God. May the Lord be gracious to us and perfect us in this way.