Prayer answers, righteousness, teaching of Watchman Nee

Grab to eternal life!

Jesus is the way,
the truth, and the life

Chapter 1 -

Lacking understanding of righteousness

One of the most common obstacles hindering prayer may be the issue already mentioned in the foreword: not understanding that Christ is our righteousness and that we can approach God through Him. If one does not understand and fully realize this basic issue, it is almost impossible to pray with trust.

   Instead, we might concentrate only on ourselves and our imperfections, and not even expect that God would answer our prayers. We might feel unworthy and think that only those people who are holier will get an answer to their prayers from God. As a result of a poor understanding of righteousness, we may not have a trustful relationship with God at all.

   To make this clear, we are going to study the issue in the light of the next examples. They show us the right basis, so that we can trustfully pray to God:

Access through Jesus. First of all, anyone struggling with prayer should understand that we can come to God at any moment, but only through Jesus and His blood. Our access to Him is not based on something in ourselves, the basis is in the fulfilled work of Jesus and His blood. Jesus is our ticket to God and our Mediator. Therefore, if we try to approach God in some other way or through our own actions, it is not surprising if we do not have trust in our prayer. Trust will be missing from our prayer without Jesus:

- (Eph 2:13,18) But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.

18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

-(Eph 3:11-12) According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

- (Hebr 10:19,22) Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Watchman Nee described the same thing. He pointed out the usual issue of people basing their access to God on how well they have succeeded, not on the atonement of Jesus. People may think that if they have succeeded really well, then also God will receive them. If they have failed, they may think the opposite:



I am almost sure that our thoughts go like this, "Today I have been very proper. The word of God felt so warm and alive in the morning – surely I can now go before God in prayer.” Or, "We had a quarrel at home yet again this morning, and it hasn’t been sorted out yet. Going before God is impossible now.”

   On what basis do you come before God? On the basis of your own uncertain feelings? Do you think that what you have achieved today will decide whether God will receive you or not? Or is your courage based on the blood of Christ having been poured out for you and that God looks at that blood and is satisfied? You might change, but the blood of Christ never does. Therefore, you can come to God at any moment without hesitation. Not even our good achievements today, yesterday, or the day before can guarantee us access to the Most Holy. It is guaranteed to us by the blood of Christ alone. Under the shelter of blood you can go before the face of God, regardless of whether your day has been good or bad, or whether you sinned consciously or unconsciously. The blood of Jesus is the only way to God, and it is always open. (1)

His name. Secondly, it is good to understand that when we pray and turn to God, it only takes place in the name of Jesus, not in the name of anybody else. In our lives this means that we do not need to look at ourselves and our imperfect lives, but at Jesus – this was already mentioned above.

   God, the Father, receives us in the name of Jesus, not in our own name. It is good enough for Him, and in a way, it is like a paid ticket of admission to Him. Other names or tickets are no longer needed:

- (John 14:13-14) And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

- (John 15:16) You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

- (John 16:23-24, 26-27) And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24 Till now have you asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.

26 At that day you shall ask in my name: and I say not to you, that I will pray the Father for you:

27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

His righteousness. The third important issue is the righteousness of Jesus. For if Jesus has entered our lives and has become our Savior, we have also received His righteousness. This means that our acceptance before God no longer depends on ourselves, but on Jesus who has already fulfilled all the demands of God and the Law. He is our righteousness, and then, we are in fact as righteous and acceptable before the Father as He is.

   Therefore, the best we can do is to stop looking at ourselves and our faults and look at Him who is our righteousness. If we do this, it is not difficult for us to approach God trustfully in prayer:

- (1 Cor 1:30-31) But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31 That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

- (Rom 3:26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus.

- (Rom 5:1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

- (Rom 5:19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

In addition, as comes to the righteousness of Christ, it is good to understand that there is no difference between people. There is no difference, for example, between Paul and the believers of these days; in the same way also Elijah, the great hero of faith, was no more righteous than any of us. God heard his prayer in spite of his imperfection:

- (James 5:16-18) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

God hears. It is also important to understand that God hears our prayers. It is very common that we focus our attention on ourselves or our faith when praying – do I have enough faith for God to answer me – instead of simply expecting that God will hear our prayers and answer them. In other words, we may be stuck in self-observation and consider our own lives and the degree of faith we have: all of this is of no use.

   How can this problem be solved? The only way is to stop concentrating on ourselves and our faith, and start focusing on the promises of God. Since there are many verses in the Bible saying that He hears and answers our prayers, it could be wise to trust them. We have to pay attention to these promises and not to ourselves or our faith:

- (Gen 17:20) And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

- (1 Sam 1:27) For this child I prayed; and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him

- (2 Sam 22:7) In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

- (2 King 19:20) Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus said the LORD God of Israel, That which you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

- (2 Chron 30:27) Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even to heaven.

- (Ezra 8:23) So we fasted and sought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

- (Ps 66:19-20) But truly God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, which has not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

- (Ps 6:9) The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.

- (Ps 65:2) O you that hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

- (Matt 7:7-8) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you:

8 For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.

- (John 14:13-14) And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

- (Matt 7:11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

- (1 Peter 3:12) For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

- (1 John 5:14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:

Jari Iivanainen