AUTHORITATIVE PRAYERAuthoritative prayer is the type that Jesus was speaking of when He said, "Jesus answering said to them, "Have faith in God. For most assuredly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says." Mark 11: 23,24. In this type of prayer we do not go to God pleading, "O God, please take up this mountain and cast it into the sea." We are instructed to speak directly to the mountain, telling it to pick itself up and throw itself into the sea. Authoritative prayer is not asking God to do something, but using God's authority to deal directly with the problem, to get rid of all that needs to be gotten rid of. Christianity is our way of life. It is the road we travel while on earth. Mountains represent any difficulties which stand in our way. Mountains are obstacles which block our paths so that we cannot get through. Anything that prevents our reaching spiritual maturity is a mountain. Obstacles that prevent assemblies becoming what God wants them to be are mountains. This type of prayer must be learned by all who would be effective Christian workers. Whatever blocks us in our spiritual course is something that we may command to depart from us. This is authoritative prayer or the prayer of command. When the nation of Israel left Egypt they were trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea. The people were afraid that they would be killed. Moses attempted to encourage them and finally God told them, "Yahweh said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward. Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground." Exodus 14:15,16. The sea did not divide until Moses stretched his hand over the sea. This is an example of using the authority of God to make something happen. Another example, of speaking directly to the problem, was when Jesus and the disciples were sailing across the Sea of Galilee and were caught in a storm. Jesus was sleeping and the disciples were terrified of being swamped. They woke Jesus who rebuked the wind and the raging waters and the storm subsided and all was calm. Luke 8:22-25. Peter on his way to the Temple saw a crippled beggar. Peter did not pray to God, "Father, Please heal this man." Rather, he spoke directly to the man, telling him in the Name of Jesus to get up and walk. Peter took him by the hand and helped him up and instantly his feet and ankles became strong and he began walking and leaping for joy. (Acts 3:1-8) Such is authoritative prayer. Authoritative prayer is not begging God against His will. It is notifying Him of what we know must be done and He will do it. It is not doing something in our strength, but doing it via the throne. Christ is the head of the assembly, and all things have been put in subjection to Him. As Christ is head over all things to the assembly, all things must necessarily be under the assembly. If there were more people in the assembly learning to pray this way, the problems of the assembly would be easily solved. We can and should rule and manage the affairs of the assembly through prayer.
Another aspect of authoritative prayer is found in Matthew 18:18-20.
Authoritative prayer is not asking God to take up the mountain and cast it in the sea. Rather it is talking directly to the mountain and saying, "Be taken up and cast into the sea!" In authoritative prayer we command what God has already commanded.
This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14,15
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