THE PRAYER THAT COOPERATES WITH GOD PART I

The Principle of God's Work

God works along certain lines and according to certain principles. He does not do things haphazardly or carelessly. He would rather not work than have work that is done contrary to His principle. If we want to receive His blessings, we have to fulfil the conditions for Him to bless.

God transcends all principles and rules. Yet He likes to lay down principles for His work so that both He and man would abide by these ordained principles. God's principle is God's will.

God never works by Himself. He always puts His desire in His children's heart so that they would pray for it. Mr. Evan Roberts said that the order of all God's works is:

(1) God has a desire.
(2) Through the Holy Spirit, He puts this desire within His children's hearts.
(3) God's children turn this desire back to God through prayer.
(4) God accomplishes this desire.

The whole thing begins with God's desire. Through the Holy Spirit, God puts this desire in the hearts of His children so that they will know what is His heart's desire. His children then turn this desire into prayer and send it back to God. As a result, He works to accomplish that which is according to His desire.

Ezekiel 36:37 says, “Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Moreover for this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.”

(1) God ordained that the number in the house of Israel be increased. This is God's decision and what He will do. It is the first point and also the fourth point mentioned earlier.

(2) But God still has to be inquired of by the house of Israel. Although God made the decision to increase the number of the house of Israel, He could only accomplish it after He had been inquired of by the house of Israel. This is the principle of God's work. God only has His will; He does not work. He must wait until His children inquire of Him and then He will work. God is not trying to hold back on any of His work. He is waiting for His children to inquire of Him before He will work. He is willing to put Himself under the authority of and be limited by His children's prayer. If they do not pray, He cannot work. For over twenty-five hundred years, God has not increased the number of the house of Israel because no one has inquired this of Him.

Isaiah 62:6 says, “Upon Your walls, O Jerusalem, / I have appointed watchmen; / All day and all night / They will never keep silent. / You who remind Jehovah, / Do not be dumb.”

(1) God has ordained that Jerusalem would be a praise in the earth. This is God's desire.

(2) For this He has set watchmen to cry out to Him. He told them not to hold their peace and to give Him no rest. We should pray continually and not rest until God accomplishes what He has ordained. The carrying out of God's will is fully determined by our prayer.

Philemon 14 says, “But without your mind I did not want to do anything, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but voluntary.”

Paul represents God, and Philemon represents us. Paul would not do anything without knowing Philemon's mind. God will not do anything without knowing our mind. His will is limited by us.