Most of us have heard that prayer is simply talking to God. The problem is in thinking that’s all there is to prayer. How can that be? Prayer can release the power of God to change everything from governments of the world to the eternal destiny of an individual. Prayer, or at least effective prayer, isn’t arbitrary and cannot be left to our own ideas of how it should work. That would create chaos.
The Ruler of the Universe does not release the resources of His kingdom without there being parameters to govern those resources. The more we understand how the spiritual world operates, the more effective our prayers will be. Prayer then becomes the way we function in God’s kingdom. God knows that and is not trying to hide information. He wants us to co-labor with Him in bringing His plans forthe world and every individual in it to pass.That’s why He has given us His Word—so we will know His thoughts and His ways.
Consequently, the Word of God must be the foundation for prayer and every other aspect of living life in the kingdom of God. There are no gray areas about this. Developing and maintaining a mindset that always takes us to the Word is the most significant priority a Christian can hold. However, understanding the scope of God’s Word as the foundation for our lives, the source of our faith and most importantly our connection with God Himself, is so vast we need the grace of God to help us. Thankfully, grace is freely given!
Imagine, when we hold our Bibles, we have in our hands the actual source of all created matter. God spoke and it was. What was? Everything was! The tiniest element to the greatest came out of God Himself through His spoken Word. The Word is so unchanging and unfailing that He has bound Himself and the existence of all things to it. It is God’s mos tangible gift of Himself to us. It is the cornerstone of prayers that obtain results.
Guided by His Spirit
Thankfully, the Lord did not leave us to uncover or understand the depth of such magnificence on our own. Though the Word is His tangible part of our prayer life, it is also spiritual. Therefore, we need a spiritual guide. Oh, how thankful we are for the Holy Spirit. God speaks, but it is by the Spirit that we hear and understand. The Father, the Spirit and the Word always agree (1 John 5:7). It is the Spirit who reveals to men what the Father says and then makes that Word relevant to our lives. He shines the light of the Word into the deepest part of our being so we can understand who we are in Christ, His great provisions, and our role in God’s eternal purpose and plan.
But what is so magnanimous to me is that the Holy Spirit will put the same words that God has spoken in my mouth so that it is by my voice tha tGod’s plan comes to pass. Furthermore, we not only have permission to give voice to His words, but it is essential to God’s plan. You see, His intention in raising us up to be seated with Christ is for us to have part in making that plan unfold and come to pass. We are not puppets. We are joint heirs. And that means joint responsibilities as well as privileges.
Most realize God’s plan for the world is laid out in His Word, but His plan for each individual life is hidden there as well. And along with the plan is the power to bring each person’s destiny to pass.
Sure, that’s mind-boggling. But remember, John 1:1 tells us that God and His Word are one. They don’t just agree. They are one. Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us the Word of God is alive and nothing is concealed from its (His) sight. The Word is as all-knowing as He is. He has fully invested His God-ness into His Word.
That’s not so hard to conceive when you realize when God speaks, His words are filled with Himself. It’s much like the way your words are full of you when you fill them with what is in your heart. So, all He desires for each of us is tucked inside those holy words. Now it’s up to us to discover and cooperate with that plan. We in the Body of Christ must have the revelation that it’s only when we put God’s Word into our hearts and speak it out our mouths that His will begins to take shape. Doesn’t Proverbs 18:21 say the power of death and life is in the tongue? Whose tongue? Our tongue! We actually give life to the plan of God when we say what He says, but death to it when we speak otherwise.
John 15:7 tells us: “If…My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (The Amplified Bible). God has given us His Word so we can put it into our hearts and pray prayers back to Him that are productive and full of faith. He is giving us words to put in our mouths. Isaiah 55:11 shows us the process:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.By this we can see how God speaks forth His Word, gives it to man, and he returns it back to God. And He promises He will see that it accomplishes what He sent it to do. You hold the authority and key to your life. Allowing Him entrance into your life is greatly determined by what you say and pray.
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