Let Us Pray

by Watchman Nee, Stephen Kaung (Translator)

What is prayer? Are we really praying when we pray? Do we know the power of prayer? These matters and others must be understood if we would have a real prayer life and be effective in prayer. In this little volume of collected messages given over a long period of ministry by the author, and which are now translated and published in English for the first time, Watchman Nee shares with us the lessons on prayer that he has learned through the years. He considers prayer to be a mystery, though not something that is incomprehensible. He views prayer as the greatest work to which men are called. It is a working together with God. Through it, God's purpose is accomplished and Satan's intentions are broken. And its benefit to the one who prays is something great as well. Let us therefore follow the admonition of our blessed Lord, who "Rise and pray" (Luke 22.46).

Genres: Christian, Prayer, Theology, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Spirituality, Inspirational

87 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Watchman Nee (Chinese: 倪柝聲; pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng; Foochow Romanized: Ngà̤ Táuk-sĭng; 1903–1972) was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Together with Wangzai, Zhou-An Lee, Shang-Jie Song, and others, Nee founded The Church Assembly Hall, later which would be also known as the "Local churches" (Chinese: 地方教會). or more commonly as (聚會所) meaning "assembly hall"

Born into a Methodist family, Watchman Nee experienced a religious revival, and joined the Church of Heavenly Peace, Fuzhou in 1920 at age 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings. Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading various Christian spiritual books. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee traveled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972.

Reviews

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. . .

I am all fired up after reading this! So inspired to again fight the good fight in prayer. I think every Christian should read this. In the beginning it was a little difficult to get into it, but after I hit chapter 2 I was so into it I finished the rest in one day. Chapter 5 was incredibly enlightening and encouraging in light of the fact that "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places"

The only reason that I knocked half a star was because of a few comments that were made in the book that I don't necessarily agree with. Those two being that prayers made not according to God's will have little to no value in the kingdom. Personally, I think God cares about every thing in our lives, big or small. The other statement that I was confused about was this. "If the people of God fail to show sympathy towards Him by yielding their will to Him and expressing their one mind with Him in prayer, He would rather stand by and postpone his work." Again, personally, I don't know that these statements match my convictions. I also don't know if these things were just statements that were lost in translation (because this book was translated from Chinese) or if those were Watchman Nee's actual thoughts.

But again, overall this book was a great read, one I will turn to again and again and I am so thankful that I randomly pulled it off the shelf.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

(After third reading, Aug 2016) That this and more:

"God never does anything against His own will. Since God's will is to open the door and since opening the door is in accordance with righteousness, will God nevertheless open the door if we do not knock?"

A collection of Nee messages on the common topic of prayer, Let Us Pray lacks the unity and power of some of his better known works. That said, the opening meditation on the idea that God waits to do his will until we pray for it is worth the whole book.

"God will not fulfill His will alone--He will perform only after His people show their sympathy in prayers."

Born in Manchu China of Christian parents in 1903, Watchman Nee was active in the study and spread of the Christian faith throughout his life, including the translation of English spiritual works into Chinese. Not surprisingly, the Communist Chinese thought him a threat to their new state. He was arrested in 1952 and spent the last twenty years of his life at hard labor. The circumstances of his death prompt many to suspect he was murdered. Despite that seemingly narrow life, Watchman Nee influenced Christians around the world. His words are still popular and often quoted as received wisdom.

His work came to my attention in the 1970s. Then I found his style dense and hard to follow, perhaps due to my poor preparation or the translation because now I find his writing clear and compelling.

"Prayer is the occasion wherein to express our desire for God's will."

[Trace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing book on the topic of prayer. Perhaps even the best book that I've read on this topic.
Soooo good. I underlined about half the book!!
I will be reading more of Watchman Nee's works as soon as possible.

[Benjamin Corneliusen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If we reject and resist whatever wearing-down tactic Satan may use upon us, we shall witness the salvation of the Lord and the deliverance from Satan’s wearing-out strengthen.

Such a word needs the covering of the blood. May God cover us with the blood.”

A powerful ending to a great book of insight on a life of prayer, the ways to pray, methods of prayer, and the common roadblocks of the enemy interrupting our prayer.

Thankful for a book like this in a time like this.

[Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have greatly respected Watchman Nee for his discipline and his commitment to live in a manner that glorifies God. Sold out.

This small volume was an encouragement to me that will help me in my prayer life. He has lots of ideas about prayer, apparently from personal experience:

- Prayer is a mystery; it is working together with God; it is speaking out of the mouth of the believer, the will of God; it is our will standing on God's side.

- Our needs should be lost in God's will; God's will is for us to be so filled with His will that we forget our own interests.

"True prayer is real work. Praying according to God's will and praying only for His will is indeed a self-denying work. Unless we are completely weaned from ourselves, having not the slightest interest of our own, but living absolutely for the Lord and seeking only His glory, we will not like what He likes, nor seeks what He seeks, nor pray what He wants us to pray. Without doubt, to work for God with no self- interest, is very difficult; but the pray for Him without any self-interest is even harder..."

- praying this way will shake up hell and affect Satan.
- we are to 'pray through burdens' until they are lifted
- the amount of God's will that is done as a result of prayer is directly proportionate to the loss of Satan because of it
- satan will do anything to thwart the prayers of believers: distraction, tiredness, sin, confused thoughts, wearing down, wearing out

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains some very good principles to practice and/or keep in mind for prayer. However, I recommend not taking Nee's scriptural interpretation and theology at face value. Read with a careful and discerning attitude, always going to the bible and reading his quotes in the context of the larger passage.

For example, in the first chapter he quotes Isaiah 45:11.

"Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me." (KJV)

He interprets the passage to mean: What God does in heaven is commanded by our prayers on earth. He is awaiting our commands. The KJV translation is misleading on its own, but when you read the passage in its context, you can see that God is not telling us to command him, but rather God is clearly saying that it is not our place to question or command him.

This egregious error compelled me to double check all of his scriptural usage, which I believe is always a good thing when reading. Regardless, there are good principles to carry away, but please read very carefully.

[Erica Bonner · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a deeper meaning and understanding into prayer, this is your book. The way he presents the principles is very interesting. All the points refer back to the Bible as well. I listened to each chapter a couple times. Each word was so intentional and I really wanted to understand it. Now I’m off to find more Watchman Nee books!

[Tochukwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential reading for all Christians. Watchman Nee was such a wise and anointed Man. Everything I've ever read by him is just phenomenal. And this book has taught me to orient my prayer life according to the will of God and to engage in spiritual warfare. After all, our battle isn't with flesh and blood. Chapter 5 in particular is unmissable. It details the aspect of prayer that so many Christians are missing. My prayer life was missing the aspects of what he teaches in that chapter. And after reading it, my prayer life has been completely revitalized.


I think this is a book that all believers should read and then revisit periodically. Nee was a great man and so full of practical wisdom. Don't miss this one.

[whichwaydidshego · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, for most of this small book I largely disagreed. So much so that I wrote all sorts of arguments spelling out said disagreements in the margins. Somehow that kept me wanting to read it - waiting to see how next I'd be annoyed enough to spell it out. However, toward the end I found some real gems of wisdom. Not only that, these gems spoke to what I've been facing in the last few years giving me a new and important perspective. So much so that I feel I might begin to be free of much of the worst of it. So in the end I'm pleased to have persevered to read through it.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

watchman nee is a genius no doubt. can be hard to read because there is so much information, and it is translated from manuscripts of sermons given throughout his life. nothing wrong with reading a wise mans thoughts on an important topic though.

[Ron Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is one that will require multiple reads...

[Jeremy Ngadiman3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this short book, Watchman Nee describes one of the most common and iconic spiritual practices of the Christian faith: prayer. In six chapters, Nee describes how prayer is a process in which our will is made in alignment with God's will, God's Kingdom-building work on earth is realized, and the devil's opposition is resisted and destroyed.

The author's writing will seem repetitive to the reader because the book is, in the words of the translators, a "little volume of collected messages" or a collection of Nee's sermons over the course of his ministry. Indeed, even when the reader has crossed chapters, the same message of the previous chapter may continue to be reiterated with only slight (but important) variations. Readers will hopefully be able to overlook this quirk, however, given how short the book's length is and how helpful it is in making sure the main themes regarding prayer sticks to memory, much like how good sermons are remembered long after the weekend. The only (slight) exception to this quirk can be found in chapter six which is a collection of points on prayer which transcend the three themes mentioned in the paragraph above.

Growing up, I was acquainted with the idea of prayer as man communicating with God. Just as we communicate with one another by simply conveying information, prayer is simply a person conveying information to God. As long as a person knows what they want to say to God, and as long as they pray through Jesus Christ (whose work on the cross enables this communication to be so freely done in the first place), there is nothing to be nervous about in the process of praying. Stumbling over words will only be something to laugh at, and when the prayer is answered, the person who prayed will find their life to be wonderful and fulfilled.

As such, I was surprised at how much I had to learn as I read this book. The idea that God wants to reveal His thoughts, desires, and will with us beyond just His word is already a wondrous thought in itself; Nee's claim that the all-powerful, sovereign God will delay His work to wait for His people to express their emotive agreement with Him in prayer is an even greater thought still. The book has also been very helpful and descriptive on the matter of spiritual warfare, revealing how exactly prayer expedites God's will on earth disturbs the enemy which then leads to all sorts of resistance that is seen and unseen. As Nee quotes various passages in the Bible to confirm this message, faith and excitement arises within my heart to pray.

In short, Nee's short book is indeed a call to prayer. By explaining what prayer is for the Christian and how it works, it empowers its readers to pray with zeal and purpose; to pray for God's will to be made known; to pray for the Kingdom of God to come; to pray for the hidden enemy not of flesh and blood to be revealed and to be brought to judgment; to pray for the salvation and welfare of the flesh and blood, of the people God so loved; to pray for the church of God to be prepared for Christ's return; and to pray in order to prepare the way of the Lord.

[John Dobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I was going to love this little book. I've been inspired by Watchman Nee's story and loved some of his other books. But the first few chapters here were challenging - and I think a little heavy-handed on a few items. However, they did give me much to think about. It's not that I disagreed, but it is that he made some bold statements about certain kinds of prayer being the 'only' ones that are of value. However, the emphasis is on praying God's will be done, and that God does move when we pray. His push is that God ONLY works when we pray.

"He has the power, but He needs our prayers to lay the tracks down for the train of His will to run on. The more tracks we lay, the more abundant will be the works of God. Our prayers should therefore serve the purpose of laying down a huge spiritual network of railroad tracks. And the more the better" (p. 31).

While I do not disagree, I do think God is at work even when we do not pray, or when we pray but not in specifics. Or even when we pray in our weakness.

Chapter 5 is the chapter that had me highlighting and saying 'wow' throughout. It is entitled 'Prayer That Resists Satan'. His exploration of Luke 18:1-8 contained some thoughts I have never considered.

Chapter 6 contains some 'Pointers on Prayer', and they are excellent. Chapter 7 exposes 'The Wearing-Out Tactics of Satan'. Very good....and some needed principles for contemporary Christians.

Overall, this is an easy little book to read but it is full of rich teaching and principles to consider. It appears from the introduction that it is a bit of a compendium, so it's not likely that Nee composed these chapters as a book per se, but together they fit really well. I would highly recommend this little book for people of prayer. I gave it 4 stars instead of five because of some things I struggled with in the first few chapters - but it was well worth my time to read through.

[Zak Schmoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book as part of our young adult Bible study and used it as the jumping off point for our discussion. For that purpose, it does have a good deal of content to discuss although as it is a collection of sermons all focused on the topic of prayer, there are elements that get repeated in every chapter because obviously he would have brought them up in the sermons that were given over the course of several years.

One of the main takeaways that I will remember from this book is the fact that we are absolutely supposed to hate the works of Satan. I understand that as a Christian, but at the same time, I appreciated how strong the language was in this book. If we do not see Satan as our enemy all the time and always working against us, we can be tempted to think that we can coast by on our own strength. By remembering who our enemy is, it helps us remember where our strength comes from. Also, I appreciated how this book emphasized the necessity of praying until you receive an answer. That type of persistence is shown throughout the Bible, and it is a good reminder.

Overall, this is a good book that I would recommend. I think prayer can be a difficult spiritual discipline for some, and this book would be an encouragement in that situation.

[Shane Ryan Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over 25 years ago, I discovered the writings of Watchman Nee and found them to be helpful and encouraging. However, I've never been able to recommend Watchman Nee because here and there his theology or view on a subject is slightly off. It is not entirely certain if his knowledge, understanding on specific topics was deficient or if the problem lay in how others had recorded his words. When he was alive some of his followers would write down his spoken words which were later translated from Chinese into English. It's possible these modern day scribes had misunderstood something he had said or simply failed to write it down properly. For example, Let Us Pray has a troublesome first chapter in which its author seems to suggest that God won't do anything unless His people on earth pray. In subsequent chapters, he contradicts this idea with a more Biblical viewpoint of God's sovereignty and will and how God can exercise His will regardless of human initiation. Once you get past that bothersome first chapter, there are some wonderful points brought up on the subject of prayer throughout this short book.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by a very dear brother who has been shepherding me. I remember several years I used to have the question regarding how to properly pray because I found out that my prayers, though consistent, were so formal and deadened. I was greatly helped by another ministry book and several other brothers' fellowship. Later, I started having a closer, much more intimate relationship with the Lord, which truly ushered me into the real meaning and enjoyment of prayers.

Now, this book took me a big step further. It's always like several years I for the first time learned how to eat because I was drawn by the great taste of my food, but now this book teaches how to eat properly, healthy, and even right, and to know how to cook my food according to its nature and maximize the nutrients of them.

Praise the Lord! We can sympathize God in our prayers and see that prayers, though greatly important for us, means even more to God to have His will done on earth. Amen.

[Aaron Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nee's assertions are very counter cultural, currently. The rise of Calvinism in the protestant mindset, at least in college, smarts very strongly against Nee's stance of "God only works when man bids him to work through prayer." Not to be mistaken, Nee never allows for God to be forced to work in a way that he doesn't desire to work, but sometimes he allows his work to be "indefinitely postponed" until enough praying people are on board with his work. I struggle to reconcile this with the attacks of the Assyrians against the Israelite's which were ordained and worked by God. I doubt anyone was praying for those attacks, even the prophets who were speaking that it was to happen. I love Nee and this has influenced my overall rating of the book. Not his best (exegetically) but it does make you desire to get down on your knees and pray, which is I'm sure what he would have wanted.

[Chase Dougherty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent Foundational Principles

Pray consistently, fervently, and with empathy for others. Pray from faith and for God's glory. Pray for God's will to be done in specific ways, for we do not have because we do not ask. God loves to bring us along the journey and include us in His works. Great message from the author.

However, the author failed several times by using words like "always" and "never". He declared simple truths as absolutes! Additionally a large portion of the book was about fighting the devil. The devil is not omnipotent or everywhere at once. I highly doubt he would ever attack the average Christian, but rather a church leader or someone who is having a huge impact. If the author fixed the latter mistakes then I would bump my rating to a four!

[a Always Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Spiritual Match

This book was an excellent read! The author explains the reason, the types of prayer and how to do it physically and by the scriptures. It truly educated me and the motivation gained is similar to a match-fire starter. To say I am stoked to pray is an understatement. I'm grateful that I've been blessed to have read this book by this author. Thank you Watchman Nee.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watchman Nee is a favorite. Though there were two short statements I disagree with, this held so much truth and exhortation.

If taken seriously, this can add so much power to our prayer life. He ends with a bang - the last chapter may have been my favorite. One of those books I would like to reference and reread frequently, as I’m sure my gleanings will change with my growth in Christ.

Simple and practical for any believer.

[Semilore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good and powerful short read! Ignited my need for prayer and specifically praying against Satan and knowing how Gods will on earth directly opposes Satan as well as it fulfilling His kingdom on earth. Hoped it would go into more detail of other types of prayer like intercessory and declaring the Word of God to our circumstances and situations to adhere to His will. Nonetheless a great read, so 4 stars!!

[Tracie Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!

EVERY Christian should read this awesome book! We have been praying amiss but once you have read this book, there should be no stopping us in defeating the devil in all areas of our lives! We MUST understand and know that our Lord and Savior is for us and not against us! AWESOME, AWESOME READ!

[Crystal Lucky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so appreciate this book on prayer. I have read other works by Watchman Nee. His rich, dense prose requires thought and patience. In this book, he explains the various components of prayer and the spiritual opposition to prayer that believers will experience. But he encourages readers that they are equipped to persevere with spiritual discernment. Highly recommend.

[Will Abrams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compact and powerful book on prayer, Watchman Nee's "Let Us Pray" should be required reading for anyone who wants to communicate with God more effectively. I look forward to revisiting it again in the future.

[Susana-Andre Reis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 1 makes you deconstruct all you think you know about prayer. The brilliance of the author’s argument about the relationship between God’s will and our role in aligning with His will is second to none. I read this book in a couple hours and will read it again!!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would be about how to pray; it was more focused on why to pray and when. Some intriguing perspectives, especially regarding Satan’s opposition. A keeper for my library, to be read again.

[Katrin V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots in here to think about. Perhaps plenty to disagree with too, but even in the disagreeing the thought provoked makes it worthwhile.

[Carolyn Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about prayer!

[Jennifer Malech · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone wanting to go deeper in their prayer life, this little book has some great truths that make you understand the concept/spiritual understanding of the value of our prayers.