Declarative Prayer - May 2021
by Andy Johnson
We’re spending 2021 alternating between the how of praying and the why of praying for the expansion of the Kingdom, particularly within MRN’s Initiatives. We started the year with adoration. We did this for a number of reasons, mainly because it’s where we need to start all other forms of prayer – with the character of God. In order to grow in effectiveness in prayer, we must grow in our knowledge of and relationship with the God to whom we pray.
This month we call you to Declarative Prayer, something many of us might be either unfamiliar or uncomfortable with. This mode of prayer simply means that once we know God’s heart on an issue, we boldly pray that it will be so, and then walk in faith that it is already so – even if the answer is not yet visible.[1] It involves knowing the heart of God, the character of God, and the word of God so intimately that we are able to speak with authority about how things ought to be even when they do not look likely.
Did you catch who the central player is in this? God. Declarative prayer speaks out loud the truth found in God’s word and in God’s being. This is so important I’ll say it again: declarative prayer is about God, not about us. The main difference between Spirit-filled declarative prayer and a deceitful name-it-and-claim-it false gospel lies in whether our desires are aligned with God’s desires.
At first glance, claiming to know what God desires sounds pretty prideful, but God Himself has already told us a great deal about His desires:
That all would come to know Him.
That His people and His creation would be made new and whole.
That people would ask for wisdom.
That we would have victory over His enemy.
Praying within these things (and other truths from scripture!) is praying in alignment with God’s desires.
Therefore, when you set yourself to declarative prayer, here are a few good things to consider:
Does my prayer encourage the expansion of the Kingdom of God?
Does my prayer bring glory to God or to myself or some institution?
What has God said about this kind of situation in scripture?
Having checked your heart with questions like these, friend, speak truth. Boldly declare out loud your prayers. Use the language of scripture generously; I have found that talking to God about that which He’s already talked to us can be a powerful tool. And walk in faith that what you’ve prayed is in line with God’s desires as you understand them.
Specifically, here’s an exercise I’m calling you to today.
Choose a scripture (ones to consider would be Zephaniah 3.17, 2 Corinthians 3.17, Isaiah 61.11, and 2 Chronicles 7.14)
Speak that scripture out loud. Your spoken words matter.
Pray that scripture over you, your family, and your house.
Pray that scripture over outside catalysts (missionaries sent into new cultures).
Pray that scripture over inside leaders (nationals born into cultures in which the gospel is now breaking).
Together let’s trust that when we pray in the Spirit in the name of Jesus in line with God’s desires, He will listen and respond from on high!
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[1] Jonathan Graf