Praying With Authority
Matthew 8:5–10
The Faith of a Centurion
[5] When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, [6] “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” [7] And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” [8] But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” [10] When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. (ESV)
My posting today will cover the topic of authority as we pray. It is a natural extension to thoughts I shared in my last writing on this series on prayer because if we know who we are as we pray, we will know our place in God's kingdom as well-and all the applications of that status. Admittedly, as I've studied the book Moving Mountains by John Eldridge, this has been the subject that I've had the hardest time feeling confident in as I grow in prayer. He does such a good job laying out the scripture for his teaching but it's one of those areas where my understanding of God collides with something new God is teaching me about Him and it takes time to soak in. As I'm asking God to teach me truth about this, I am so grateful to have this blog as a place to "write out" my learning and global community to interact with on this subject. Please comment below your responses, questions, and thoughts to help me consider more on this topic!
Let me walk you through the argument: there is a way things work in a kingdom. A king rules and appoints others under Him to operate under the authority given to him. Our king is Jesus and through His work of atonement on the cross, His perfect sacrifice for us, He makes of citizens with Him, we become heirs-daughters and sons. With that status comes the authority by adoption to rule with him. He had to come to earth to restore this authority to us. In the garden, God created man and gave him the earth, to work and to keep it (Genesis 2:15). We were able to name the animals and rule over them. But then the snake came, convincing Eve and Adam that the authority given them was not enough, that they needed more-to be like God and so they took the apple and ate it, and revoked the authority they had been given through sin, directly disobeying the only command God had given them when He put them to live and rule in paradise. The authority was stolen by Satan, who had been cast down from heaven because He wanted to steal God's glory (Revelation 12:9). Jesus acknowledged the also in His prayer before going to Gethsemane, the place he would be arrested for His ultimate crucifixion, that Satan was the prince of this world.
The great news is that Jesus reclaimed the authority of earth by His perfect sacrifice. Colossians 2:15 says He disarmed the rulers and authors and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them. Jesus now is in charge. Revelation 1:5 introduces Him to the seven churches as the king over the earth. Philipians 2:8-11 says that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Jesus says in Matthew 18:18 that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
I hope I've explained well how authority was lost and given back to Jesus. Let me try and connect the dots a little more-though Jesus is reigning now we are in an age where Jesus is winning back the authority that has been given to Him. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 states this very clearly: Then the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must sign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Jesus is reigning but there are still enemies causing havoc. When Jesus returns again, He will fight the last battle, enforcing the reality of His rule and conquering every enemy that remains (Rev 17:14).
Seeing the reality of the age I live in laid out on the basis of authority (after the cross but before the return of Christ) had really given me a new perspective on my purpose and role as part of the kingdom. I'm waking up to the idea that prayer is a place to fight, to bring the kingdom of heaven to bear on my sphere of influence. Jesus, when he teaches the disciples how to pray in Luke 11 starts out by saying Your kingdom come. He is modeling that an essential element to prayer is connecting what is happening on earth with the kingdom of God. What is amazing and frightening if I'm honest, is that Jesus also says I have given you authority...to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Paul being filled with the spirit also tells us In Ephesians 1 that God places all things under the feet of Jesus and appointed him to be the head of the church,...the fullness of him who fills everything in everyday. If we are His fullness, then our role is to continue to push back darkness in prayer with His authority. For we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph 2:4-6). I've never quite understood what this means because I don't feel like one who shares a kingdom most days, when I'm here on earth. Many days I'm discouraged, exhausted, and confused. But if this is verse is about authority and destiny, then I understand that my true place will come and I should start to live this status out here and now.
Readers, I pray that I've done an adequate job explaining something I don't fully understand yet. I opened this post with the story of the centurion because I hope to be like him, understanding authority. It amazed Jesus! He comments that there is not one in Israel, His chosen people, with such great faith. I don't know much-but I do know I want to described that way by Jesus when I stand before Him. So if I am a daughter of God, and my destiny is to rule with Him, then I want to include in my prayers the authority of Jesus that He has won back for me through His triumphant victory over sin. So I'm taking steps toward authority in my prayers, proclaiming the rule of Jesus as I pray and partnering with Him in bringing His will to bear in my life. May you also find your way in this journey of faith and prayer, brining more of His will to bear until He comes again to take us home!
The Faith of a Centurion
[5] When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, [6] “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” [7] And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” [8] But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” [10] When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. (ESV)
My posting today will cover the topic of authority as we pray. It is a natural extension to thoughts I shared in my last writing on this series on prayer because if we know who we are as we pray, we will know our place in God's kingdom as well-and all the applications of that status. Admittedly, as I've studied the book Moving Mountains by John Eldridge, this has been the subject that I've had the hardest time feeling confident in as I grow in prayer. He does such a good job laying out the scripture for his teaching but it's one of those areas where my understanding of God collides with something new God is teaching me about Him and it takes time to soak in. As I'm asking God to teach me truth about this, I am so grateful to have this blog as a place to "write out" my learning and global community to interact with on this subject. Please comment below your responses, questions, and thoughts to help me consider more on this topic!
Let me walk you through the argument: there is a way things work in a kingdom. A king rules and appoints others under Him to operate under the authority given to him. Our king is Jesus and through His work of atonement on the cross, His perfect sacrifice for us, He makes of citizens with Him, we become heirs-daughters and sons. With that status comes the authority by adoption to rule with him. He had to come to earth to restore this authority to us. In the garden, God created man and gave him the earth, to work and to keep it (Genesis 2:15). We were able to name the animals and rule over them. But then the snake came, convincing Eve and Adam that the authority given them was not enough, that they needed more-to be like God and so they took the apple and ate it, and revoked the authority they had been given through sin, directly disobeying the only command God had given them when He put them to live and rule in paradise. The authority was stolen by Satan, who had been cast down from heaven because He wanted to steal God's glory (Revelation 12:9). Jesus acknowledged the also in His prayer before going to Gethsemane, the place he would be arrested for His ultimate crucifixion, that Satan was the prince of this world.
The great news is that Jesus reclaimed the authority of earth by His perfect sacrifice. Colossians 2:15 says He disarmed the rulers and authors and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them. Jesus now is in charge. Revelation 1:5 introduces Him to the seven churches as the king over the earth. Philipians 2:8-11 says that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Jesus says in Matthew 18:18 that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
I hope I've explained well how authority was lost and given back to Jesus. Let me try and connect the dots a little more-though Jesus is reigning now we are in an age where Jesus is winning back the authority that has been given to Him. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 states this very clearly: Then the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must sign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Jesus is reigning but there are still enemies causing havoc. When Jesus returns again, He will fight the last battle, enforcing the reality of His rule and conquering every enemy that remains (Rev 17:14).
Seeing the reality of the age I live in laid out on the basis of authority (after the cross but before the return of Christ) had really given me a new perspective on my purpose and role as part of the kingdom. I'm waking up to the idea that prayer is a place to fight, to bring the kingdom of heaven to bear on my sphere of influence. Jesus, when he teaches the disciples how to pray in Luke 11 starts out by saying Your kingdom come. He is modeling that an essential element to prayer is connecting what is happening on earth with the kingdom of God. What is amazing and frightening if I'm honest, is that Jesus also says I have given you authority...to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Paul being filled with the spirit also tells us In Ephesians 1 that God places all things under the feet of Jesus and appointed him to be the head of the church,...the fullness of him who fills everything in everyday. If we are His fullness, then our role is to continue to push back darkness in prayer with His authority. For we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph 2:4-6). I've never quite understood what this means because I don't feel like one who shares a kingdom most days, when I'm here on earth. Many days I'm discouraged, exhausted, and confused. But if this is verse is about authority and destiny, then I understand that my true place will come and I should start to live this status out here and now.
Readers, I pray that I've done an adequate job explaining something I don't fully understand yet. I opened this post with the story of the centurion because I hope to be like him, understanding authority. It amazed Jesus! He comments that there is not one in Israel, His chosen people, with such great faith. I don't know much-but I do know I want to described that way by Jesus when I stand before Him. So if I am a daughter of God, and my destiny is to rule with Him, then I want to include in my prayers the authority of Jesus that He has won back for me through His triumphant victory over sin. So I'm taking steps toward authority in my prayers, proclaiming the rule of Jesus as I pray and partnering with Him in bringing His will to bear in my life. May you also find your way in this journey of faith and prayer, brining more of His will to bear until He comes again to take us home!
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