Understanding the Purpose and Power of PrayerSample

The Authority of Prayer

God gave human beings the right to pray by virtue of our relationship with Him and purpose of exercising dominion over the earth. Yet our relationship with our Creator was broken, and our dominion authority was forfeited, by our first ancestors. Satan, rather than man, became “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV).

Where did this leave people in relation to communion with God and His purposes for prayer? They became estranged from Him and His plans for them, so that they—

• felt isolated from God.
• were unsure of where they stood with Him.
• didn’t know what God wanted to do for and through them.
• lost their sense of purpose.

Do these results sound at all like your own prayer life? If so, you must realize that your concept of prayer has been influenced by the effects of the Fall. However, God wants to give you a new outlook on prayer, one that reflects His purposes for redemption as well as creation.

God’s eternal plan for humanity was made possible through the coming of Jesus Christ. Only through Christ are we restored to our purposes in God, and only through Christ do we have a right to pray with authority.

From the beginning, God planned for man’s redemption and restoration of purpose to come through Jesus.

[God] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ... His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 1:9; 3:10–12)

A Representative of the Legal Authority

How could Christ accomplish God’s “eternal purpose”? To restore God’s purpose, Jesus had to come as a Representative of the legal authority of the earth—man. He had to come as a human being, as the Second Adam, as the beginning of a new family of mankind who would be devoted to God—“the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). Scripture says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). If Jesus had not come as a man, He would not have had the right to reclaim humanity and the earth for God, according to the way God has ordered His purposes for the world.

Also, to restore man’s broken relationship with God, Jesus had to be without sin, and He had to choose to do the will of God. Only a perfectly righteous man who desired to do God’s will could redeem humanity. The Bible says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus Transferred Authority to Those Who Believe

There is a vital relationship between redemption and true prayer. The position and authority that Jesus won have been transferred back to mankind through spiritual rebirth in Christ (see John 3:5). Those who believe and receive Christ have their relationship with God and their authority on earth restored. Because of Christ, we can live again as true sons and daughters of God, with all the rights and privileges associated with being His offspring. Prayer is both a right and a privilege of redeemed man, who is now in a position to enter fully into a relationship of love with God and to agree that “His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (see Matthew 6:10).

Many believers could not be described as “having dominion” in the sense of making a meaningful contribution to furthering the kingdom of God on earth. What prevents us from doing this? Often, it is because we do not recognize—or accept—our calling and authority, which we have received in Christ. We do not know our rights based on the “new covenant” (see 2 Corinthians 3:5–6).

What does redemption mean for us?

• We have access to the Father through Jesus’ name.
• Satan has no authority over us.
• Sin has no authority over us.
• We have spiritual authority through God’s Word.
• We have spiritual authority through Jesus’ name.

Are You Willing?

Do you want God to bring about His purposes for your life and for our fallen world? You can invite Him to do so through prayer.

From Genesis to Revelation, God always found a human being to help Him accomplish His purposes. He comes to you now and asks, in effect, “Are you willing? Will you help Me fulfill My purposes for your life and for the earth? Or are you content to live an unfulfilled existence and to let the influences of sin and Satan encroach upon our world? ‘Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’” (Jeremiah 30:21).

I pray that we will desire to be close to God, living in oneness with Him and His purposes and exercising the authority He has given us through the Spirit of Christ.