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According to our experience, praying and reading the Bible always complement each other and cannot be separated when we truly fellowship with God. It is difficult for a man to walk with one leg. He can walk only if he uses both legs. Both legs function together to walk on the same path. In our fellowship with God it may seem as if praying and reading the Bible are separate matters, just like our right and left legs. If we only pray or only read the Bible, our fellowship will not be balanced and perfect. In order to have balanced and perfect fellowship, there must be praying with reading and reading with praying.
As we have seen, there are two types of prayer and two ways to read the Bible. One type of prayer is for fellowship, and the other is for asking related to matters and things. Similarly, one way to read the Bible is for fellowship, and the other is for understanding. We are not concerned with prayer that asks for things or with reading the Bible for understanding. Praying is for fellowship, and reading the Bible is also for fellowship. The emphasis in praying is not on asking for matters and things, and the focus of reading is not on understanding; rather, both emphasize fellowship. Praying is fellowship; reading is also fellowship. Praying for fellowship and reading for fellowship are two elements that are absolutely indispensable in our fellowship with God. Our fellowship with God is balanced and perfect when we have both praying and reading. Hence, we will now consider these two matters together. Otherwise, we may have an erroneous thought that we need a period of time for praying and a separate period of time for reading the Bible. Strictly speaking, these two matters should not be done at separate times. They need to complement each other, just as a man walks with both his right and left legs at the same time.
In order to understand the fundamental reasons for praying and reading the Bible together in our fellowship with God, there is a need for some basic explanation.
In the New Testament John gives the clearest explanation concerning God having a relationship with man, being man’s life, and being experienced by man. John covers several matters related to these things in his Gospel and Epistles.
In his Gospel John says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness” (4:24). Here worship includes fellowship with God. This shows that if we want to fellowship with God, we must first be clear that God is Spirit. Since God is Spirit, He is in the Spirit. We should be clear concerning this first point. The first difficulty new believers encounter related to fellowship is that of wanting fellowship but not knowing where God is. This is a crucial point. John says that God is Spirit. Some other verses in the New Testament also tell us that God is in the Spirit. Hence, we should have this basic understanding of this point.
Second, it still may be vague to us to say that God is Spirit because the Spirit is abstract and intangible. Thus, in his Gospel John says, “In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God” (1:1). Also in Revelation he says that the Lord Jesus is the Word (19:13). In his writings John repeatedly speaks of God’s being, saying that God is light, and God is love (1 John 1:5; 4:8). These two points are not directly related to our fellowship with God. But John also says that God is Spirit and that God is the Word, which directly relates to our fellowship with God. Fellowship refers to our contact with God. If we want to contact God, we must know that God is Spirit and that He is the Word.
We know that God is wonderful, hidden, and mysterious. He is invisible; we cannot see Him, much less locate Him. As a result, many people have the problem of not knowing how to touch God. They do not know how to contact and fellowship with Him. Because we are so used to hearing the expression fellowship with God, we may think that this is a simple matter. But if we consider this matter seriously, we will realize that this expression is very mysterious. It is easy to understand what it means to have fellowship with a brother, because we know where to find him. But when we say that we should fellowship with God, people ask, “Where is God? How can you touch Him?” These are difficult questions. But thank God that through John He said that He is Spirit and that He is the Word. He is Spirit, and He is in the Spirit; He is the Word, and He is in the Word. Therefore, to fellowship with God is to touch God in His Spirit and in His Word.
We may consider the Spirit to be abstract, but the Word is concrete. We all agree that the Word is something concrete. We may use ourselves as an example. Our thoughts are abstract, but when our abstract thoughts become words, they are concrete. Thank God that He is not only the Spirit, but He is also the Word. If God were only the Spirit and not the Word, we would have no way to touch Him or locate Him. Many of us have been saved for many years, but have we ever considered how difficult it would be for man to receive inspiration if God had not spoken, if He had not uttered one word? Without the Word of God it would be difficult for man to receive any inspiration. We have the sense that we are touched by God because we have the Word of God. If God had never spoken, if He were merely God and merely the Spirit but not the Word, it would be difficult for us to be touched by Him. All the inspiration we receive is from His speaking, whether in a gospel meeting, an edification meeting, or in our personal meditation. When we say that the Spirit inspires us, it is actually the Word of God that has an effect on us. The moving of the Spirit within us is actually the moving of the Word. Someone may say that a person does not need the moving of the Spirit or the Word in order to know God because the eternal power and divine characteristics of God have been clearly seen since the creation of the world (Rom. 1:20). However, we would not have this realization without these words. If God were only the Spirit but not also the Word, He would be abstract to us; we would have no way to touch Him or to contact Him. But thank God that He is also the Word. We praise Him that He is the Word. Regrettably, not many children of God have realized the preciousness of God being the Word. We need to always remember that God is the Word. If He were merely the Spirit but not the Word, we would be in a helpless situation. As far as our feeling is concerned, we must have the Word. Otherwise, even if we receive inspiration, we may still not understand it. Although we cannot say that inspiration is not possible without the Word, we can say that without the Word we will not understand the inspiration we receive. We must have the Word in order to receive inspiration and understand it. Hence, we need to see clearly that God is not only the Spirit, but He is also the Word. God is not only in the Spirit, but He is also in the Word.
Third, John says that the Word is the Spirit. This is wonderful. John writes in his Gospel that the Lord Jesus Himself said that His words are spirit (6:63). We need to see the preciousness of these three matters in the Gospel of John. First, God is Spirit (4:24). Second, God is the Word (1:1). Third, the Word is the Spirit (6:63). I hope that every brother and sister will remember these three matters: God is the Spirit, God is the Word, and the Word is the Spirit.
It is difficult to explain the Word being the Spirit. Simply speaking, the Lord speaks the Word, and the Word enters into us as the Spirit. His words remaining outside of us are merely words, but when they enter into us they become spirit. Hence, when we preach the gospel, we speak words, but when the words of the gospel enter into man, they become the Spirit.
After saying that His words are spirit, the Lord said that His words are life. When the words of the Lord enter into man and become spirit, they are life. A person who is saved after hearing the gospel is a person who has heard and received the words of the gospel into him. When the words of the gospel enter into a person, they become spirit and life, and the person is regenerated and saved. A person who is not saved when he hears the gospel is one who does not allow the words to enter into him. He may even be able to clearly recite everything that was spoken. Thus, these words are not life to him. This applies not only to the gospel but also to the messages spoken in the meetings. For some brothers and sisters God’s word is merely outside of them and has not entered into them. For other brothers and sisters God’s word enters into them and becomes spirit in them, resulting in life. This also applies to reading the Bible. If the words of the Bible remain outside of us, they will be merely words. Even if we exercise our mind to memorize them, the words will still be words. However, sometimes when we read a verse or section of the Bible, this verse or section enters into us and becomes spirit, and as a result, we touch life. I do not know how to convey this mystery. I cannot explain this spiritual reality, but I do know it. When the words of the Bible enter into me and become spirit in me, they enable me to touch life within. This is practical and sweet.
Therefore, when these three facts are combined, they are meaningful and sweet. God is Spirit, and He is also the Word. If He were merely the Spirit but not the Word, we would have no way to contact Him. He must be the Word so that we can contact Him. When He comes to us as the Word and enters into us, He is the Spirit. God is Spirit. When He comes forth as the Spirit, He is the Word. When the Word enters into us, He becomes Spirit once again. As a result, we can touch Him. The coming out of the Spirit is the Word; the entering into us of the Word is the Spirit. In this way we can touch Him. If He did not come to us in this way, we would not be able to touch Him. If He were merely the Spirit, we would not be able to touch Him, and if He were merely the Word, we would also be unable to contact Him. However, He is the Spirit; He is also the Word, and the Word becomes the Spirit. In this way the Spirit becomes the Word, and the Word becomes the Spirit; this way enables us to touch Him and to contact Him. These three verses in John are the key to touching God. Even if we cannot fully apprehend this, we need to remember it. Gradually, our realization that God is the Spirit as well as the Word will increase, and we will experience the Word entering into us as the Spirit. Then we will know the way for man to touch and contact God. We will know this secret.
Now that we are clear concerning God, let us speak concerning ourselves. Since God is Spirit, we need to pray. From all that has been spoken in the training for the new believers, the messages given during regular meetings, and the publications, we should know that the emphasis in prayer is not on asking God for things but on contacting Him. God is the Spirit; hence, we need to contact Him through prayer. This is similar to contacting air by breathing, just as contacting water requires drinking, contacting food requires eating, and contacting clothes requires wearing them. In the same principle, contacting the Spirit requires prayer. God is Spirit, and contacting Him requires prayer. It is insufficient to merely meditate, and it is insufficient to merely study. Rather, we need to pray; we need to exercise our spirit to contact Him through prayer. We close our eyes when we pray to stop our entire outward being so that we can exercise our spirit to contact God, who is Spirit. Only this is real prayer.
When people, believers and unbelievers, close their eyes, their outward man stops, and they can inwardly turn. When a believer turns, we immediately sense God. However, those who are proud are often unwilling to close their eyes, making it difficult for them to touch God. If we can lead a person to close his eyes when we preach the gospel to him, it will be easier for him to be saved. A willingness to close one’s eyes is an indication that he truly desires to seek God and pray to God. Once he closes his eyes, stops his outward being, and turns to his spirit, he can immediately touch God. Sometimes even if a person in an extremely worldly situation closes his eyes, stops his outward being, and turns to his spirit, he will also touch God. This is truly wonderful.
Recently, I read about a special name of God from the book of Numbers. Moses twice called God “the God of the spirits of all flesh.” The first time this name is mentioned is in 16:22, when the assembly of Israel rebelled against God, and God wanted to consume them. Moses immediately went to God and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin and You be angry with the whole assembly?” The second time is in chapter 27. After Moses went up to the mountain of Abarim and saw the land that God had given to the children of Israel, he was told that he would be gathered to his people and would not be able to lead the children of Israel any longer (cf. vv. 12-13). Thus, he uttered a prayer before God, saying, “Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly” (v. 16). In these two prayers Moses addressed God as “the God of the spirits of all flesh.” These words indicate that everyone has a spirit. God is the God of the spirit of man. God’s relationship with man is altogether related to man’s spirit. As the God of human beings, He is the God of the human spirit. God is not the God of man’s mind; rather, He is the God of the spirit of man. He is the God of the spirits of all flesh. Therefore, there is no need to argue or reason with people concerning the existence of God. This only focuses people on gaining God through their mind, making God the God of man’s mind. But God is not the God of man’s mind; rather, He is the God of the spirits of all flesh. Hence, when we preach the gospel, the best way for our words to enter into man is to speak concerning sin, because this can touch man’s conscience, which is a part of man’s spirit.
Let me repeat: God is Spirit; hence, we need to pray to Him. We should always bear this word in mind. God being the Spirit requires us to pray, just as air requires our breathing and water requires our drinking. If we do not drink water, we have no way to contact and receive water; if we do not breathe, we have no way to receive air. Likewise, if we do not pray, we have no way to contact God who is Spirit. This is a universal law of God according to His creation and arrangement. We cannot understand and explain this law, just as we cannot understand and explain other universal laws. If we want to contact air in the universe, we must breathe, and if we want to contact food, we must eat. In the same principle, if we want to contact God who is Spirit, we must pray. Although we may not understand this, we have experienced it. If we turn to our spirit to come near to God and touch Him, disregarding our reasons, emotions, and outward environment, we will sense that God has touched us, because He is Spirit. We should not care whether we are happy, sad, rich, or poor, but we should simply stop our outward being. He requires us to exercise our spirit to pray to Him. Thus, the way to contact God is to pray. We need to pray so that we can contact and fellowship with Him. Thus, for us to fellowship with God, we must pray.
God as the Spirit needs our prayer, and God as the Word needs our reading. We pray in the Spirit, and we read the Word. We need to pray in order to fellowship with God because God is the Spirit. We need to read the Bible in order to fellowship with God because God is the Word. Because God is the Spirit and is in the Spirit, we need to exercise our spirit to pray in order to contact Him. Similarly, because God is the Word and is in the Word, we need to read the Word in order to contact Him. Everyone understands this principle.
As children of God, we may not have heard and understood much doctrine, but we do have some experience. This is the same with reading the Bible. We may not necessarily know how to read the Bible, but after we read and contact the Word of God and then are quiet and meditate, we sense that we have touched God Himself. As soon as we touch the Word of God, we sense that we have touched God. We have often had this experience. Even though I may forget what I read in the Bible, I feel that I have fellowshipped with God and contacted Him.
Having said this much, I believe that we should be clearer now. We pray because God is the Spirit, and therefore, He requires our prayer. We read the Bible because God is the Word, and therefore, He requires our reading. If we understand this, we will overthrow the erroneous concepts that we pray in order to ask God to give us something or to do something for us and that we read the Bible because we want to understand doctrine. We pray because God is the Spirit, not to ask for things, and we read the Bible because God is the Word, not to understand doctrine. We pray to contact God, and we read the Word to contact God. We must change our concept. This will make us proper Christians who lead a normal Christian life. If we can enter into the fellowship of praying while reading and reading while praying, we will be able to avoid the mistaken teachings of Christianity. The new believers should understand that we pray because God is the Spirit, and we read the Bible because God is the Word. We need to contact God the Spirit by praying, and we also need to contact God the Word by reading the Bible. Only when we have such a concept can we enter into a good fellowship with God.
Since we read the Bible to contact God, what we read needs to enter into us to become the Spirit. We should never think that this is difficult and time consuming. No, if we practice, the Word will easily become the Spirit whenever we read the Bible. If the words we read remain as words only, we have not practiced sufficiently and are overly relying on our mind. This is the reason I have repeatedly said that we should not intend to understand, to study, or to ponder. Once our mind is focused on studying and pondering, the words of the Bible will not enter into us but will remain merely words. However, with sufficient practice we can touch the Spirit whenever we read the Bible. When we touch the Spirit, the words will enter into us and become the Spirit. When we read the Bible with our spirit, the words of the Bible will enter into us and become the Spirit. If we learn to read the Bible in this way, we will feel as if we have eaten a meal after reading. This is wonderful. Although we may read the Bible for half an hour and not remember much, we will feel as if we have eaten a full meal and taken a good bath in our spirit. Often I read the Bible with no intention to remember or ponder what I have read. Even though I do not remember what I read, my spirit is satisfied with food and drink. I feel refreshed within, as if I have just taken a deep breath of fresh air. The words of the Bible enter into me and become the Spirit.
It is wonderful that a word rises within us as a timely help in the midst of a particular need, even though we think that we do not remember much. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. We may not remember which verse, chapter, or even the book we read, but the word we contacted with our spirit entered into us and became the Spirit to be our inward help. Therefore, we need to continue to exercise to contact the Word of God with our spirit and allow the Word of God to enter into us and become the Spirit. This type of reading is different from reading for understanding. Although there is a need for that, it should be done at a different time.
This point is the reverse of the previous point. When the Word enters into us, it becomes the Spirit; this is a matter of entrance. However, the Spirit becoming the Word is a matter of operation. This operation is similar to the moving of the Holy Spirit that we usually refer to. Once the Word enters into us, it becomes the Spirit, and once the Spirit operates in us, He becomes the Word. This is a sure principle.
We need to learn to contact the words of the Bible with our spirit. When we have the inspiration of the Spirit, we need to allow the inspiration within us to become the Word. At this juncture our mind needs to be spiritual, and our thoughts need to be trained spiritually so that we are able to interpret the inspiration of the Spirit. Our mind needs to cooperate with the Spirit so that we can interpret the meaning of the inspiration we receive. In this way the Spirit can become the Word in us.
The Word becomes the Spirit when our reading of the Bible is turned into prayer. We should be able to understand the meaning of the Spirit and let the Spirit become the Word in our prayer. Hence, it is not good to put off our prayer until the end of our reading. When we contact the words of the Bible and the Word becomes the Spirit within us, we should pray. This prayer involves worship, thanksgiving, and praise. Whenever the Word becomes the Spirit as we read, we should pray; once the Spirit becomes the Word through our prayer, we should continue to read. As a result, the Word becomes the Spirit, and the Spirit becomes the Word. We read awhile and then pray; we pray awhile and then read. This is a sweet fellowship. The Word we contact becomes the Spirit in us, and the more we pray, the more inspiration of the Spirit we receive. Gradually, the inspiration of the Spirit becomes the Word, and we read God’s Word again. As we continue reading, the Word becomes the Spirit, and we pray again. As we continue reading and praying, we will surely have good fellowship with God. We will enjoy the fellowship to such an extent that we forget our sickness, our poverty, and even the many problems in our locality. We will forget all these things.
Some may still ask, “What about my sickness? What should I do about not having enough money?” We should not have so many questions. After this type of fellowship with the Lord, we should simply rise and say, “Lord, You know that I am still sick and that I have no money in my pocket.” This one sentence is sufficient. We should mention our needs before God in a simple way. This is strong and effective prayer. The faith we need will come spontaneously. God will do something. When we enter into God through fellowship, it is easy for us to know whether or not God wants us to mention such matters. Sometimes our inner situation is similar to Moses’ experience in his last days, when God said, “Enough! Speak no more to Me about this matter” (Deut. 3:26). We can know whether God wants us to pray about a certain matter. Then all our prayers will hit the mark. We will be able to touch and understand God’s will. This will keep us from being overly concerned with bearing the burdens of sickness, poverty, and other things rather than fellowshipping with God and touching Him.
If we consider Abraham, we will see that his intercession touched God. He was always in fellowship and contact with God; in the end he uttered a prayer to intercede for the city of Sodom. This was a person who touched God in his fellowship; hence, his prayer could be precise and simple yet powerful and effective. His prayer could restrict and bind God so that God had to answer.
The biography of Brother George Müller shows that he rarely begged God for anything. He lived before God and fellowshipped with Him continually. Hence, when he mentioned a certain matter to God, he first asked God whether He would do it. After he sensed that a matter was of God’s will, he would say, “Since this is Your will, I ask You to accomplish it.” His prayer was spontaneous, easy, and effortless because he was a man who touched God in fellowship. Certain matters do require us to pray with much effort, even to fast and fight, but this is another aspect of prayer. Now we need to see that prayer requires us to first touch God in fellowship.
In this kind of fellowship of praying and reading, reading and praying, a fellowship in which the Word becomes the Spirit and the Spirit becomes the Word, we need to do our best to prevent and guard against interruptions. Then we will enjoy the fellowship to the uttermost. We need to put aside and not pray for the many things that may require prayer. Truthfully, many things do not require our prayer. As long as these matters are in our heart, God knows about them and remembers them accordingly. He wants us to worship Him, fellowship with Him, absorb Him, enjoy Him, and gain Him; this is the most pleasing to Him. The Lord said that our heavenly Father knows all we need (Matt. 6:8). Thus, we should leave all these things to Him. He knows our sickness, our family problems, our lack, and our needs. We do not need to beg before Him; instead, we should be at peace and believe. The one thing, the best thing, we should do is to touch Him, worship Him, believe in Him, pursue Him, and gain Him. He will add all the other things to us. Therefore, we should not let our consideration of these things interrupt us. We should try our best to stay in fellowship. If we have ten minutes, we should spend ten minutes to fellowship with Him; if we have twenty minutes, we should spend twenty minutes to fellowship with Him. We can lift up our face at any time and at any place and speak to Him of our practical needs. But when we are fellowshipping with God, we should not bring in these matters.
It is useless to merely speak concerning these things. We need to practice them diligently and help others to practice them. As we gradually become more adept in the matter of fellowship, we will taste the sweetness and enjoy the riches of fellowship in reality.
