God has chosen to work mightily through the prayers of His people! And He can do that because Christ died for us on the cross so that the answers to our prayers are no longer dependent on our own merit.
Good thing. Otherwise, we would never see a prayer answered!
Because He died for us and purchased for us the gift of righteousness (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 8:1), as well as the right to call ourselves children of God (John 1:12). Therein lies the guarantee that, whenever we pray according to His will, He hears us and answers us (1 John 5:14,15).
In short, prayer is the funnel through which the fulness of His blessings flows – towards us, and even more so toward others, from the friend or neighbor in need to the unsaved, suffering Christians, and the peoples of the world that have yet to hear the gospel. Part of our identity as Christians is that of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). That means that we have both the power invested in us and the responsibility to represent those who cannot represent themselves before God in prayer. That’s what a priest does.
His desire is for the Church to be a house of prayer for the nations (Mark 11:17) and that we, who have been restored into the fellowship with the Father that He had intended for Adam, would be people of prayer.
The temptation is to be selfish about it and seek the riches of His blessings only for ourselves. But Jesus taught us to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), before praying for our daily needs (vs. 11). All our praying – for ourselves, for fellow Christians, and for the world – is to flow forth from those two phrases.
Your will, your kingdom. It is the kingdom blessings we pray down from heaven to earth. Spiritual riches, truth, open hearts for the gospel, healing, peace, joy in people’s hearts, and much more. We pray for the advance of His Kingdom, which is more perfect than any other riches that exist, in people’s hearts. From the Sunday saint to the pagan tribe, whichever form it takes.
God is counting on us. Perhaps the messes around us are partly due to a Church that doesn’t pray, and a people who have forgotten the privilege, power, and duty of intercessory prayer. Imagine what could happen if millions of saints woke up, realized the power of prayer, and began to seek Him daily on behalf of others.
So be a funnel. Change lives, change the world, bring His kingdom and His will down from heaven through faithful and fervent intercession. Make prayer a lifestyle!
