Understanding The Purpose And Power Of Prayer

1. Prayer: Earth's License for Heaven's Interference.

Prayer is man giving God the legal right and permission to interfere in earth’s affairs.

God's established order. At creation, God gave mankind dominion and legal authority over the earth, stating, "Let them rule" (Gen. 1:26). Because God respects His own Word and integrity, He limited His direct interference in the earthly realm without man's cooperation. This divine arrangement makes prayer necessary.

Man's essential role. Nothing will happen in the earth realm without the active or passive permission of man, its legal authority. God and heavenly beings cannot interfere without mankind's cooperation or permission. Prayer is the mechanism by which man exercises his legal authority to invite heaven's influence.

Terrestrial license. Prayer is essentially a terrestrial license for celestial interference. It is man exercising his legal authority on earth to invoke heaven's influence on the planet. Heaven depends on man's prayer to impact earth, and earth needs heaven's influence.

2. Unanswered Prayer Signals Misunderstanding, Not God's Unwillingness.

Unanswered prayer is a major obstacle that stands in the way of a life of true faith.

Frustration and confusion. Many people are disillusioned with prayer because they feel their prayers go unanswered, leading to frustration and a sense of failure. This can cause them to doubt God's love, character, and integrity, or even abandon prayer altogether. They may turn to other sources for help.

Not God's fault. Unanswered prayer is not necessarily a sign that God is unwilling or unable to answer. Instead, it often indicates a misunderstanding of prayer's source, principles, origin, and purpose. It suggests that something is wrong with our approach or preparation, not with God's faithfulness.

Prayer does work. Prayer is meant to be answered; otherwise, God would not ask us to pray. When prayer doesn't bring results, it's a signal to examine our understanding and application of the principles God has given us in His Word for effective prayer.

3. Prayer's Genesis: God's Purpose and Man's Dominion.

Prayer is mankind exercising dominion on the earth by giving God the freedom to intervene in earth’s affairs.

Created for purpose. God is a God of eternal purpose, and He created humanity in His image and likeness for a desired purpose: to have a relationship of love with Him and to share His rulership and dominion over the earth. Man was made to be God's representative on Earth.

Legal authority given. God gave man the freedom to function as the legal authority on earth, placing His will for the earth on the cooperation of man's will. This divine order, established with the words "Let them rule," never changed, even after the fall of mankind.

Essential for God's will. Because God will not violate His own Word concerning man's dominion, prayer is essential for God's will to be done on earth. It is mandatory for spiritual progress and victory in our lives and the world, as it gives God the necessary permission to act.

4. Jesus Restored Our Authority and Right to Pray.

The position and authority that Jesus won have been transferred back to mankind through spiritual rebirth in Christ.

The Fall's impact. When Adam and Eve sinned, they broke their relationship with God and forfeited their dominion authority to Satan, who became "the god of this world." This left humanity estranged from God and powerless to fulfill His purposes.

Christ's redemption. God's eternal plan was to restore mankind through Jesus Christ, the Second Adam. Jesus came as a man, lived a sinless life, died as a sacrifice, and rose victoriously, reclaiming authority over the earth and defeating sin and Satan. He qualified as man's representative and redeemer.

Restored rights. Through spiritual rebirth in Christ, believers are restored to a relationship of love with God and regain their authority on earth. We are made competent as ministers of a new covenant, with the right and privilege to approach God and exercise dominion through prayer in Christ's name.

5. Entering God's Presence Requires Holiness and Preparation.

We must learn to enter God’s presence with the right spirit, approach, and preparation so we can commune with Him and offer effective prayers as God’s priests.

Reverence for God. True prayer involves communion and intimacy with God, which requires reverence for His holiness. Without holiness, we cannot truly see or enter God's presence. Holiness means being set apart, having integrity, and being single-minded in our devotion to God and His Word.

Royal priesthood. As believers, we are part of a "royal priesthood," called to be God's intermediaries for the world. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood provides a model for our preparation to enter God's presence.

Steps of preparation: This preparation involves:

• Appropriating God's grace and confessing sin.
• Putting on righteousness and truth (living with integrity).
• Cleansing ourselves with the Word of God.
• Worshiping and praising God.
• Separating ourselves from distractions to find the place in God where He meets us.

6. Effective Prayer Demands the God Kind of Faith.

There is positive faith and there is negative faith. Both come by the same means—by what we listen to and believe.

Faith is active belief. Everyone lives by faith, which is belief or confidence in what is heard, leading to expectation and action. Just as God created and sustains the universe by His powerful word, our words, born from our beliefs, create our personal world.

The God kind of faith. Jesus instructed us to "Have the God kind of faith," which comes from hearing and believing God's Word. This faith believes in the reality of God's promises before they are seen and speaks accordingly. It is not wishful thinking or mental assent, but active trust.

Faith comes by hearing. Faith is cultivated by consistently hearing, reading, meditating on, and acting upon the Word of God. What we listen to most influences the kind of faith we develop. Doubt, the opposite of faith, hinders receiving from God.

7. Praying in Jesus' Name Activates His Authority.

We must be able to legally use the authority behind the power of Jesus’ name in order to obtain results in prayer.

More than a word. Praying "in the name of Jesus" is not a magic formula or password. It means praying based on the authority and power that Jesus possesses and has granted to believers through the new covenant. Using His name without a proper relationship with Him is ineffective.

Covenantal authority. Our right to use Jesus' name in prayer is based on our covenant relationship with God through Christ. As children of God, redeemed by Christ, we have legal access to the Father and authority to transact spiritual business in Jesus' name.

The name represents nature. In the Bible, a name often represents the essence of a person's nature, power, and glory. Jesus' name, like God's name "I Am," encompasses all His attributes. Praying in His name means calling on the specific attribute of Jesus that meets our particular need at the time (e.g., Savior, Healer, Provider).

8. Identify and Remove Hurdles to Answered Prayer.

Recognizing and overcoming hurdles to answered prayer will protect your prayer potential and give you the right motivation and perspective for prayer.

Misconceptions block. Hurdles are misconceptions or wrong approaches to prayer that hinder its effectiveness. They prevent us from reaching our full prayer potential and experiencing God's power.

Common hurdles include:

• Learning about prayer without actually practicing it.
• Giving mental assent to God's Word without acting on it (sense knowledge vs. faith).
• Hearing the Word but failing to absorb it through meditation.
• Confusing "hoping" (wishful thinking) with biblical faith.
• Praying for more faith instead of building faith through the Word.
• Neglecting prayer due to laziness or the cares of the world.

Overcoming through truth. Recognizing these hurdles and replacing them with the truth of God's Word is crucial. Applying biblical principles transforms our perspective and approach, enabling us to pray effectively.

9. Clear Hindrances for Confident, Effective Prayer.

Clearing out hindrances in our lives will enable us to live in harmony with God and others and to have confidence in prayer.

Spiritual and emotional blocks. Hindrances are spiritual or emotional issues in our lives that disrupt our fellowship with God and others, thereby blocking our prayers. They are distinct from intellectual hurdles and require dealing with the condition of our hearts.

Major hindrances:

• Unconfessed or willful sin, which separates us from God.
• Fear and guilt, which stem from doubting God's forgiveness and love.
• Feelings of inferiority, preventing us from approaching God confidently as His child.
• Wrong motives, seeking personal pleasure over God's kingdom.
• Bitterness and unforgiveness, which violate God's nature and hinder relationships.
• Broken family relationships, misrepresenting God's love.
• Idols (anything prioritized over God).
• Stinginess, shutting our ears to the needs of others.

Restoring harmony. Addressing these hindrances through confession, repentance, forgiveness, and aligning our hearts with God's character is essential. This restores harmony with God and others, allowing us to approach God's throne with confidence and receive answers.

10. Jesus' Model Prayer Guides Our Partnership with God.

The secret to Jesus’ success in ministry was a lifestyle of prayer.

Disciples' request. The disciples, observing Jesus' powerful ministry and consistent prayer life, asked Him to teach them how to pray. This highlights that prayer is a learned practice, not automatic, and that Jesus prioritized communion with the Father.

A pattern for prayer. Jesus provided a model prayer ("Our Father") as a pattern, not just words to repeat. It teaches us to approach God corporately ("Our Father"), acknowledge His holiness, prioritize His kingdom and will on earth, pray for daily needs (for ourselves and others), and address relationships (forgiveness).

Partnership with God. The model prayer emphasizes partnership, aligning our will with God's will ("Your kingdom come, Your will be done"). It moves beyond selfish requests to intercession for God's purposes. This partnership, rooted in intimacy with the Father, makes our minutes with men effective after hours with God.

11. The Power of Prayer Lies in God's Living Word.

God wants to use His power in the world. However, for Him to do so, we must understand how to appropriate His Word.

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Last updated: June 11, 2025