The Prayer - The Power of the Spoken Word 

The Prayer - The Power of the Spoken Word

The spoken word has enormous power in the spiritual realm. Prayer is the vehicle that propels the believer forward on the narrow road. Prayer is composed of words. In the spiritual realm, words have the power to build and to tear down; they have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). God created the world by His Word.  He spoke, and it all came to be! 

God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) 

By God's Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. (2 Peter 3:5b)

Jesus spoke His ministry into existence. He spoke and broke the chains of captivity from the minds of people. He commanded, and the evil spirits obeyed Him (Mark 1:27). He rebuked the storm, and it quieted (Luke 8:25). Jesus called out, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43), and by the power of His Word, the process of decaying flesh was immediately reversed: A dead man resurrected before the astonished eyes of many. Jesus attested to the power of the words in prayer.

The words I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63)

The spoken Word affects our lives today as well. It has the power to bring death or life. Jesus said, 

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthews 12:37) 

When the Israelites suffered great thirst in the desert, God instructed Moses to speak to a rock at Kadesh, 

Speak to that rock before their eyes, and it will pour out its water. (Numbers 20:8) 

Similarly, Jesus told His disciples, 

I tell you the truth: whatever you bind on earth (in prayer) will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you lose on earth (in prayer) will be loosed in Heaven. (Matthews 18:18, emphasis added)

As recorded in the Book of Acts, the Apostles’ lives were manifestations of their spoken words in faith. They preached, and, by the power of the spoken Word, in the name of Jesus, they healed and delivered many people from the bondage of evil. 

To further affirm the power of the spoken word, consider what a blessing and a curse are. Each is a spoken word! Curses and blessings accompany the Law. They were enacted upon giving of the Law; their unshakable authority remains today. The power of the spoken word originates from the spiritual realm but dramatically affects the physical realm. Our own doing and speaking evoke forces that bring either blessings or curses to our lives. We reap what we have sown (Galatians 6:7).

The biblical patriarchs blessed their children. Abraham blessed Isaac (Genesis 27:28-29). Jacob blessed his twelve sons and prophesied their future (Genesis 49). The blessings are prayers that have prophetic power. Once spoken, the words of a prayer have a life of their own. The Bible records the fulfillment of the patriarchs’ prayers over their offspring. Jacob’s blessing over Judah (Genesis 49:8-10) included a prophecy that kings would come from Judah and that one King would eventually receive "the obedience of the nations." Judah's descendants later became the tribe from which King David came. Jesus Christ comes from the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:3). The blessing over Benjamin (Genesis 49:27) exhibits the same pattern. He was called a ravenous wolf set on devour and plunder. The tribe of Benjamin produced many military leaders in Israel, including King Saul and his son Jonathan, both of whom had strong warrior personalities (Judges 5:14; 20:16; 1 Chronicles 8:40; 2 Chronicles 14:8; 17:17).

Further, the high priests blessed the people with the Aaronic benediction, which is chanted in synagogues and also prayed in churches worldwide, evoking God's name upon the worshipers for blessing and protection. 

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them, "The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: the Lord turn his face toward you, and give you peace."' So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27)

It is recorded that God's appointed ministers regularly spoke blessings over the people. 

The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached Heaven, his holy dwelling place. (2 Chronicles 30:27)

 The Apostle Paul tells us to bless God and bless His Holy Name. He starts his letter to the Ephesians with a blessing: 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3-23) 

He also urges us.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)

Through the Prophet Zechariah, God reinforced to His people the validity of the curses embedded in the Law of Moses. In a vision of a flying scroll, the Lord warned the Israelites that the curses associated with the breaking of the Law were now going out over the whole land to accomplish everything according to what had been said (Zechariah 5:1-4). These curses continue to go out today, fulfilling God's Word in the lives of those who break His Law. We are also reminded that when the mouth of the Lord speaks, the words don't return to Him empty (Isaiah 1:20; 40:5; 58:14). 

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

The executing order in the spiritual realm is subjected to the power of the Word. Once spoken, it sets in motion forces within the spiritual realm that unroll and unfold until the spoken words come into existence in the physical realm and become a reality on Earth as it is in Heaven. 

God's Word is not chained! (2 Timothy 2:9)

Feelings or sensations do not necessarily accompany prayer. Sometimes they do. It is neither a rule nor an exception. Feelings should never override Scripture. We are being warned that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9)

The differences in our emotional response during prayer are embedded in how our physical and spiritual natures intersect with God's divine nature. For this reason, we have to be cautious about feelings and sensations coming from the heart, which can easily be mistaken for God's voice. God does use our feelings to speak to us, but so does the evil one. In prayer, we test the spirits (1 John 4:1), and by testing them, we avoid the danger of falling into the traps of the enemy.

The ability to discern spirits and understand spiritual matters is a spiritual gift—the gift of discernment. It is developed by continually practicing prayer in the presence of the Holy Spirit. This gift is not restricted to theologically trained ministers but is also available to the brokenhearted. 

Prayer should manifest our faith in action, not a display of feelings in idleness. We pray because we believe God hears. But even more, we pray because we believe God answers. Faith should not rely on feelings but instead on the unshakable assurance that God's irrevocable Word impacts the course of our lives immediately. Just like the prayers of the biblical patriarchs, our prayers also have the same prophetic power. We are encouraged to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Before ascension, Jesus assured His disciples, 

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:14) 

The process of healing from traumatic events is grounded in prayer. The practice of the spiritual discipline of prayer will take you through the stages of the healing process. You must begin this process with a correct attitude of the heart. Prayer brings you out from the static understanding of the roots of emotional pain to the dynamic action of eradicating it. Knowledge without prayer leads to foolishness; this is the way of the world. Likewise, an understanding of the root problem of emotional pain alone cannot alleviate it. Action is needed. Prayer is the combat vehicle for action against the oppression of emotional pain. 

Prayer is also the "official" language of the Kingdom of God. Just as learning a new language requires time and effort, so does developing one's talking and listening abilities to God in prayer. These skills do not develop overnight, but once acquired, they remain for life. For every moment spent in prayer, God reciprocates with manifold blessings: The wisdom of the Almighty becomes your wisdom. 

I no longer call you servants, because a servant doesn't know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

This wonderful gift is ours when we practice the spiritual discipline of prayer daily; we actively establish God's will in our small corner of the world.