The Key

I am currently reading a book titled, “The Power of Praying Together.” It has been illuminating thus far and I would like to share a summary of a few tidbits from the book and a few of my thoughts as well.

The overall notion is that understanding the Holy Spirit is the key to seeing the power of God move in response to our prayers. Sometimes I feel that although my intentions are good, my faith seems to be irrelevant because I can't see it effecting or changing the world around me. I feel like I am a "lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power." And everyone seems to be turning away! (2 Timothy 3:5). Okay, maybe I'm not repulsing people, but I do see that I am denying the power of God, by not inviting the Holy Spirit to release His power.

Jack Hayford puts it this way: "There is very little power in the key that fits my car. The car engine has power, but it does not come to life without my key being put into the ignition. In other words, I don't have the power to go outside and get myself going 60 miles an hour, but I have access to a resource that can get me moving at that speed. Jesus said, ' I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.' (Matthew 16:19) Keys mean the privilege, authority, access. Some things will not be turned on unless WE turn them on. The key doesn't make the power of the engine; it releases the power of the engine."

We also need to understand that we have the right to come before God in prayer, because He gave us legal possession of the keys to His kingdom. John 1:12 says "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Because we believe in His name, we are made His children and have the right to come before our Father in prayer. He reserves "his incomparably great power for us who believe." (Ephesians 1:19)

There is an incredible correlation between God's love, prayer and God's power. Whenever we ask for God's Holy Spirit to flow through us as we pray, we will see His power move in our lives. His spirit is love. If we want a demonstration of God's power, then God's love must be the motivating force behind each prayer we pray.

1. There is a connection between God's love and His power: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
(John 13:34)

Pastor Jack expresses it like this: "The foundational law of the kingdom is the law of love. It is the love of God poured forth in our hearts (Romans 5:5 says “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.") Loving others is a kingdom law, and you can't get kingdom action without obeying kingdom laws. His keys don't fit out private kingdom. His power is unleashed upon command, but not for our personal gain."

This is a total gut check for me. I've been praying out of obligation or necessity for so long that I've gown accustomed to not seeing the move of God's power in my life. It has only been recently that I began intentionally thinking about praying with the right motivation and God's answers have been so incredible. Truly praying out of God's love for others and not for personal gain will release His kingdom power on earth.

2. There is a connection between God's power and prayer. The disciples obviously knew there was a connection because they didn't ask Jesus to teach them how to get power; they asked Him to teach them how to pray. He taught them the Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:9-10).
"This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.'"

Jesus didn't teach us how to pray so that we would have something to recite, rather He was showing us how to release the power of His kingdom on earth. The way to pray is to first acknowledge our relationship with our Heavenly Father, then worship him, then we are to ask in boldness for His kingdom to come. I always thought that "your kingdom come" was referring to a time in the future when heaven would be on earth. It is actually asking for God to enter our circumstances at this very moment.

Pastor Hayford describes that God's power is for two things, one is to accomplish God's purposes here on earth. The other is to give evidence to people around us that Jesus is alive. Jesus makes it very clear that our business here on earth is prayer. It is the way transformation is brought about in our lives and the lives of others. The advancement of God's kingdom on earth simply means that God wants to bring heath and wholeness to a place full of brokenness. It is our privilege to pray out of love for others for His Kingdom of power to come.