This message was given during the fourth meeting of a conference on Practicing to Live with the Present Christ, given by Titus Chu in Chicago, IL on the weekend of April 1-3, 1994
Abiding In The Lord’s Presence By Speaking To The Lord In Whatever Your Condition And Environment
1. Praying Audibly Into the Lord’s Presence with the Most Common, Genuine Language and with No Formality
We should learn to abide in the Lord’s presence by speaking to Him in whatever condition or environment we find ourselves. In doing so, we should simply speak to the Lord in the most common, genuine expressions. We should not exercise any formality in our prayer. This is a basic lesson in coming to the Lord’s presence.
If you don’t practice coming to the Lord in this way, you will automatically fall into a form. You have to learn to use the common, genuine spoken language without formality. I encourage you to walk as you pray. Lock yourself in a room and just walk, speaking to the Lord, opening up yourself and your situation to Him. If you pray like this for twenty minutes, you will become a different Christian.
A. Practice to speak out whatever is in your heart at any time or any place.
You shouldn’t just speak to the Lord in your room. Learn to speak to Him at any time and in any place. Speak to Him while you are driving or shopping. Speak to Him while you are at school or at work. Tell Him what is going on with you. Perhaps as you are driving you would be inspired to tell Him that He is your real car, your real gasoline, and your real comfortable seat. Wherever you are, practice speaking to the Lord whatever is in your heart.
B. Speak to the Lord not in a shouting way, but in simple utterances with a most genuine attitude, not fearing that your language might be too plain or offensive.
Don’t be afraid; the more genuine you are with Him, the better. Just speak to the Lord; talk yourself into the Lord’s presence.
C. Speak to the Lord, not considering your unworthiness, but trusting that he is your Savior, making yourself known to Him, until you are in His presence.
On the negative side, speak to the Lord until you have the assurance that you yourself, your needs, your condition, and your frustration, are all made known to Him. On the positive side, your joyfulness, your satisfaction, and your encouragement are all make known to Him.
Don’t consider that prayer is something so high that is requires another form of speech. Prayer is just speaking. Your prayer is your speaking to the Lord. In your speaking, make yourself known to Him.
D. Speak to the Lord until the elders even think you are drunk (1 Sam. 1:12-13).
Hannah prayed to the point that Eli rebuked her for being drunk, and yet she was able to answer so sweetly. Her prayer was the top kind of prayer; she just spoke to God exactly what was bothering her to the point that she seemed to be out of her senses.
2. Petitioning According to the Lord’s Presence
As you pray, petitions will come forth.
A. Petition for whatever the lord may have put into your heart, things spiritual or non-spiritual, things great or small, things important or mundane.
Petition for whatever the Lord has put into your hear. Learn not only to pray yourself into the Lord’s presence; learn to pray with a purpose, for whatever the Lord has put into your heart, whether spiritual or non-spiritual. Even pray regarding your car or school. Learn to pray for all things, whether big or small. Bring everything to the Lord.
B. Petition for your local church, the increase, your church elders with the serving ones, and your companions.
Pray for the church. Pray for the elders’ operation. The more you pray for the leading ones, the more you will love them. Furthermore, pray for your companions. The more you pray for them, the more you will be saved from being merely good buddies together.
C. Petition for the New Testament ministry exercised in this age and for the brother and his fellow-workers who bear such a ministry.
Pray for the exercise of the New Testament ministry in this age and pray for the brother who exercises the New Testament ministry. Pray for the ministry the Lord has committed to a person; don’t pray just for the person. This kind of prayer is much higher.
D. Petition for God’s economy.
3. Pray and Petition with Thanksgiving
In your prayer, learn to thank the Lord, but not just at the end of your prayer. Thanksgiving comes with your prayer and with your petitions. As you pray and petition, thanksgiving just spontaneously arises.
This message was given as part of a conference for the churches from the Great Lakes area of the United States and Canada
