Prayer Part 5
(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)
NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Please visit our YouTube Channel (Barry Johnson Ministries; New Light Faith Ministries, Inc.) to watch or listen to these lessons as well as other available sermons. Be blessed.
Introduction
Hello everyone. Over the years, we cannot tell you the number of times we’ve heard this said: “There is power in prayer.” We have even said this ourselves. It’s a statement that is affirmed with hand clapping and Amens. But what does the statement really mean? Is there really power in prayer, and if so, what is that “power”? And to take this a step further: what is the purpose of the “power”? This is the fifth and final study on prayer and the answer to these questions is the focus of this lesson. But before we begin, let’s do a quick review of the first four parts of this study on prayer.
In part one, we introduced the story and testimony of Sis. Betsy, which is part of the foundation for this series on prayer. Because of the drought in the area, her church had set a time for the congregation to gather to pray for rain. Sis. Betsy arrives wearing what you would expect a person to wear if it was raining. However, because she arrived wearing a raincoat, walking in galoshes and carrying an umbrella, the church members became concerned about her mental well-being. Her response to their concerns was simple: “We are here to pray for rain. I came here expecting God to answer our prayer. Why didn’t you?” We repeated this story in each of the four parts because it set the tone for this series on prayer. If we are not truly going to God in faith with the expectation that He will answer our prayer, then we are simply going through the motions. When we pray, we should walk away knowing and expecting God to answer that prayer. It is just that simple. In part one we also looked at the types of prayers and the foundation for praying.
In part two, we examined the behaviors that hinder God’s ability to answer our prayers. In part three, we looked at the spiritual reason as to why our prayers may be hindered. In the realm of the spirit, which is unseen to us, Satan is actively fighting to keep answered prayers from reaching us and we saw this in the record found in Daniel 10. We finished the lesson by pointing out some of the reasons why we do not pray. In part four, we spent some time looking at the foundational verses for this study on prayer: First Thessalonians 5:17 and Philippians 4:6-7, which we will repeat in a moment. We then transitioned into how to pray God’s Word and closed with a brief look at Second Chronicles 7:14, which says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Now, let’s read the foundational scriptures for this series on prayer.
First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”
Philippians 4:6-7 say, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
What we see in these foundational verses is fellowship with our Father. As we covered in the previous lessons, prayer is a conversation that we have with our Father about the things on our hearts. When we pray, what we are doing is laying our troubles, cares and concerns before the Lord and when we do, He promises to give us a supernatural peace that the world cannot explain or understand. Jesus said the following in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” What we see in this verse, as well as in Philippians chapter four, is the designed result of prayer: to give us an unexplainable supernatural peace that only our Father can give us. And we see this worded beautifully in what the Lord says to Israel in Isaiah 30:29. It says, “You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Israel.”
For the remainder of this final lesson, we are going to answer the questions that we mentioned earlier in this lesson:
• Is there power in prayer?
• What is that “power”?
• What is the purpose of that “power”?
Is there power in prayer?
The simple and unequivocal answer to this question is “Yes, there absolutely is power in prayer.” But the power does not manifest simply because we pray. The power is in the prayers that are prayed by individuals who are standing in faith when they pray.” Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” The key point of this verse is this: we must believe that when we pray, we will receive answers to our prayers. We don’t pray hoping for an answer. And we don’t pray prayers of doubt by saying “if it be Thy will.” In Part four, we looked at ways we can pray that are consistent with what God has said in His Word. When we pray in faith, we pray knowing and understanding what God’s Word says, and if we believe that Word then we have confidence that the prayer will be answered. First John 5:14 says it this way: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Our doubt exists because we do not fully understand and apply God’s Word. So, we know that there is power in prayer, but the question we must answer is this:
What is the “power” that is in prayer?
Let’s tackle this question first by examining the two primary Greek words for “power” in the New Testament – dunamis and exousia. The word dunamis (#1411) means “to be able, capable.” The first time dunamis is used it identifies Who has the power – the ability to bring something to pass – and it is found in Matthew 6:13. The verse reads as follows: “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” In the first use of the word dunamis, we see that only God the Father has this power. No one else! We also see dunamis used when Gabriel talks with Mary in Luke 1:35. “And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” In these two verses, we see a truth that many of us already knew: when it comes to prayer, God is the only one who can answer them.
Now, let’s look at the other word for power, exousia (#1849). The word means “permission, authority, right, liberty, power to do something.” Just as with the word dunamis, the first time exousia is used establishes who has the power. In Matthew 9:6, Jesus says, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" – then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." Based on the context of the passages in which exousia is found, a Scripturally accurate way to translate exousia is as “authority” and we see this brought out in the Amplified Bible. “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins and remit the penalty, He then said to the paralyzed man, Get up! Pick up your sleeping pad and go to your house.” In the verse, Jesus is called the “Son of Man”, which means the authority that He had here on earth was not deity related. His authority came from being the Son of God living here on earth. In other words, the authority that Jesus had when He was here on earth is the same authority that we have now. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:12? "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” The works that Jesus did He did because of the authority He had as God’s Son. The same is true for God’s children today.
When we say, “There is power in prayer,” we are identifying the two “powers” involved in the prayer – God, who has the power, the dunamis, or ability to answer the prayer and the person, who has the power, the exousia, or authority to bring the prayer to God. And, as we mentioned earlier from Mark 11:24, the person who brings a prayer to God must believe – must have faith – that God will answer it.
Our Authority on Earth
Before we look at the purpose of the “power” that is in prayer, we must understand that it is our authority, our exousia, that gives God the avenue to release His power, His dunamis, here on earth. When a person has authority, that person has the right to use it to gain access to “the power that is available” to him. Do you see the connection? We have the authority, but God has the power. We are going to look at several examples of this from scripture. Matthew 10:1 says, “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power (authority) over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” Now look at Mark 3:13-15. It reads as follows: “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. (14) Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, (15) and to have power (authority) to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” What we see in these two passages is Jesus giving His disciples the authority, the exousia, to access His Father’s power, His Father’s dunamis, to fulfill the assignment He had given to them.
In Luke 4:33-36, we see Jesus using His exousia to access His Father’s dunamis. “Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, (34) saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!" (35) But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. (36) Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is! For with authority (exousia) and power (dunamis) He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."
Now, before we look at the purpose of the “power” – the purpose of our authority when it comes to prayer, we must answer one question: “How do we get the authority, the exousia, to access God’s power, His dunamis? The Apostle John tells us in John 1:12-13, which states, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (13) who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” We receive the authority to access God’s power when we are born into His kingdom – when we become His sons and daughters. Now, with all of this in mind, let’s answer the question:
What is the purpose of that “power” (when we pray)?
But we need to rephrase the question to accurately understand why we need to pray. Perhaps a way to present the question differently would be: “What is the purpose for our having authority through prayer? When asked this way, the answer can easily be identified in “The Lord’s Prayer”, which is found in Matthew 6. (9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
We like the way the Amplified Bible renders the first part of verse 9: “Pray, therefore, like this…” What we see is a commandment. Jesus says “Pray” implying that without our prayers what follows in verses 10, 11, 12 and 13 will be hindered from coming to pass. Our prayers play a role in “Your kingdom come.” Our prayers play a role in “Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” Think about it. We are to pray that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. God needs us to walk in our authority here on earth for His will on earth to be done. So when we pray in our authority we yield to God enabling Him to move in our midst. Our prayers play a role in us “receiving our daily bread.” Our prayers play a role in God “forgiving us of our debt,” which refers to our moral failures. Luke 11:4 uses “sin” instead of “debt”. “And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." Our prayers play a role in keeping us from entering temptations. And our prayers also play a role in God’s ability to “deliver us from the evil one (Satan).”
In “The Lord’s Prayer” we see the purpose of our power, authority, in prayer. Since the purpose of our authority is so that God’s will can be done on earth, what does this look like in a practical sense? We are going to look at several examples of how our praying with authority can open the door for God’s will being done on earth.
Matthew 5:43-45 says, “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (44) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (45) that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” The Amplified Bible renders the first part of verse 45 this way: “To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven …” Jesus says that when we love our enemies and bless those who curse us and hate us and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us, we are responding to them the way our Father would respond to them if He were here on earth. That’s the authority that our prayers carry.
In Matthew 9:37-38 we read the following: “(37) Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. (38) Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." The “harvest” Jesus is referring to is the harvest of souls for the kingdom. He tells His disciples to use their authority to pray to the “Lord of the harvest” (His Father) to send more laborers, “reapers”, who can lead the harvest, the lost souls, into the kingdom. That’s the authority that our prayers carry.
In Second Thessalonians 3:1-2 the Apostle Paul says, “(1) Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, (2) and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.” One of the most important reasons we have authority through prayer is to pray that Word of Lord can be shared freely and without any obstructions in our communities and in our country.
Turn to First Timothy 2. We’re going to read verses one through four and verse eight. “(1) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, (2) for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, (4) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. … (8) I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” (First Timothy 2:1-4, 8) The Apostle Paul tells Timothy to pray for the individuals who hold leadership positions and positions of authority who are not Christians. And the reason why Paul gave this commandment to pray is so that the believers could live without fear of continual persecution and have the opportunity to freely share the gospel. We cannot overstate the importance of praying for the men and women, believers and unbelievers, who are in leadership positions in our country. Could it be that some of the ungodly things we are witnessing in our country is the fault of a Church that has not been praying for its leaders the way God desires?
One of the more intriguing reasons for our authority through prayer is seen in Second Timothy 4:16, which reads, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.” When the Apostle Paul was on trial before the Roman emperor Nero, the saints at Rome deserted him for fear of government persecution. Paul’s prayer that “it may not be laid to their charge” implies that when Christians don’t stand up for each other, there is a potential for judgment against them that could cost them their salvation. Paul’s prayer reminded us of Stephen’s prayer as he was being stoned by the religious leaders in Acts 7:59-60. “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ (60) Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Through the authority of our prayers, we can ask God to forgive those who do not stand up for the Gospel so that it not be recorded against them in heaven. Let’s look at what James wrote.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” There is something in this verse we want you to see and prayerfully consider. James says, “Confess your trespasses to one another.” Each of us needs at least one mature Christian in our lives that we trust and can speak freely with when we fall short of God’s standards for living. This is important because the verse also says, by implication, that if we don’t confess our sins – if we don’t repent – it will hinder our ability to receive healing. When we are living righteously according to God’s holy standards, we have the authority, through prayer, to allow God’s power to flow freely through us for healing.
As we have seen in these passages of scripture, the purpose of our power, our authority, when we pray is to benefit those who need God to touch their lives, including our own.
Praying With Authority
Before Rodney closes us out, we want to stress one additional point that we briefly touched on earlier in this lesson when we talked about our authority here on earth. We have authority because, and only because, of our relationship and connectedness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Do you remember what Jesus said in John 15 about Him being the vine and us being the branches? “(4) Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (5) I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (6) If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (7) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:4-7)
When we go to our Father in prayer, we do not have to go to Him begging for a favor as if we are unworthy to be in His presence. No, we go to Him with confidence because of who we are in His Son. If you go to God with the understanding that you have a right to do so and that He expects us to come to Him, it changes how we pray. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” And when we do this, don’t forget about doing so with faith. Remember Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” If we know that God expects us to come to Him and rewards us for doing so we then we will find ourselves going to Him often and joyfully! We can pray with authority because we know who we are in Christ Jesus!
Closing
We hope that you have gained some insight into prayer through this series. As we close this lesson out, we want you to remember that the power that brings answered prayer comes from God and God alone. Because of our relationship with Him through His Son, He has given us authority here on earth to pray and when we do that in faith, we see those prayers answered. Even though the answer is not always the one we want or expect, we receive our answer. Our prayers matter and make a difference and this is why the Bible commands that we pray. When you pray in faith believe the One who empowered you to do it knowing that He is going to answer. Let us pray.
