LEARNING TO BEHOLD GOD BEFORE WE PRAY

If we are able to restrict ourselves and turn to the Spirit in this way, we should not immediately open our mouths to pray. In chapter 5 we considered ten points we should pay attention to when we pray. After being calm we should behold God. This means that in order to pray, we must first touch God. We must first touch God before we can pray. This means that our spirit must touch the Spirit of God. When we are busy with many outward things, there is no way for us to touch God. When we want to pray, we must free ourselves from all affairs, stop our mental activities, and turn our entire being from outward things to our spirit. We must learn to exercise our spirit to touch God’s Spirit. Then we will learn to behold God. Because God is Spirit and dwells in our spirit, it is not difficult to touch Him. When our entire being is occupied, and we live in our mind, God seems to disappear. However, He has not disappeared; rather, we have turned our backs on Him. We are not beholding Him. But as soon as we are free from our thoughts and turn from the outward things to our spirit, we touch God immediately. This is to behold God, and this is to touch His presence in our spirit. As soon as we touch God in our spirit, we feel solid within; we feel that we have the anointing and the moving of the Holy Spirit. At this point we can open our mouths to pray.

BEING AIDED TO TURN TO OUR SPIRIT 
BY READING THE WORD

Some may say that it is difficult to turn to their spirit and behold God in this way. New believers may find it difficult to practice praying in this way. If a person cannot turn to his spirit or be calm, he can start by reading the Word. He can then use the words of the Bible to calm his thoughts in order to turn to his spirit. He can turn any words that touch him into prayer. This is an easy way to turn to our spirit.

Some saints are able to turn directly to their spirit without any help. Whenever they want to pray, they only need to close their eyes, and they can stop their entire being. Sometimes they do not even need to close their eyes; they can turn to their spirit even while others are talking beside them. They are not bothered by distractions. One brother said that he had learned to pray even while others were fighting in front of him. He could calmly pray to touch the Lord, sense His presence, and be brought into the Holy Spirit, no matter how loudly they shouted. Such a person is very experienced in his spirit; his spirit is very strong. He is able to control himself and is not bothered by anything. When he wants to pray, he can turn his entire being to his spirit.

However, many brothers and sisters have not learned to pray in this way. They cannot even be calm when they are alone, not to mention being calm when others argue and fight in their presence. This shows that they are not restricted before God and that they are immature in the Lord. We should never think that a person is mature simply because they have been a Christian for many years. Maturity does not depend on the number of years one has been a Christian, and it does not depend on the amount of teaching a person knows. Rather, maturity is related to our ability to be calm and turn to our spirit when we pray. If we can do this, we are somewhat mature. If we cannot, we are still quite young and cannot restrict ourselves. For this reason we must continue to exercise until we can stop ourselves and turn to our spirit when we are ready to pray.

We may not find it easy when we begin to practice, and we may need to use the Bible. If so, we can read through the Bible slowly, allowing God’s Word to touch our inward being. We can then turn the words of the Bible into prayer. In this way it will be easy for us to be calm and turn to our spirit. Then we will behold God, we will see God; our spirit will contact God, and we will be able to offer genuine prayers.

As we utter such prayers, we still need to pay attention to the matter of touching God. Once we stop touching God, we should not force ourselves to pray. We should, rather, continue reading the Word. We should use the Bible as a support to help us enjoy God through prayer. When we are calm and can touch our spirit through reading the Word, we can start praying again. In short, we do not need to force ourselves to pray whenever our spirit is dry and we cannot touch God. If we force ourselves, our spirit will receive no benefit but may actually be harmed. We should rather stop our prayer and continue reading the Word.

PRACTICING TO PRAY BY TOUCHING GOD 
IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES

The only prayers that touch God are those offered in the Spirit. Only through such prayers can we receive God. We should pray in this way, not only in the morning when we contact God but also in our time of prayer during the day. We should always feel the watering, anointing, and divine presence while we pray. But if we feel dry and void of God while we pray for a particular matter, we should stop praying and change the direction or subject of our prayer until we touch God. Then we can continue praying. In this way we can remain in the spirit while we pray.

We need to practice praying in the Holy Spirit. May the Lord be gracious to us so that we learn to pray in the Holy Spirit. May we have prayers that touch and absorb God.