Prophetic Prayer

The term “prophetic” is not simply used to describe the declaration of future events – I am using this term to describe God’s voice and interaction with us in prayer. Prophetic prayer is prayer where we are engaged with the Father – we seek His will and presence in our prayers – we are working with Him in bringing His kingdom into earth and into our lives – we are expecting to hear His voice in the prayer and as a result of the prayer. His voice is what makes the prayer “prophetic.” We are not simply praying a list of things and have no expectation of His response – prophetic prayer seeks the heart of the Father as we pray. We are praying His prayers. Through prayer, God gives us the dignity of sonship as we work with Him in bringing about His plans.

In God’s order of things, prayer is the means by which we obtain what He has promised and released to the earth.

Four voices of prophetic prayer

1. Talk To God – ask

He already knows what we want or need, yet He still wants us to ask Him – that is what makes this asking prayer prophetic – we are asking God for things that are His will. He wants our voices to call this thing into being. He already knows what we need and what He wants us to ask Him for – He wants our voices to be filled with authority and intimacy in the asking.

Matt. 6:8 For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.


How to Ask – 12 Secrets

-  Ask for specific things:  You have not because you ask not (Jas. 4:2; Jas. 1:5)

-  Ask in secret: ...your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matt. 6:6)

-  Ask unselfishly: You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
(Jas. 4:3)

-  Ask with clean heart: The effective, ...prayer of a righteous man avails much (Jas. 5:16)

-  Ask with fervency, passion, boldness: The effective, fervent prayer...avails much (Jas. 5:16)

   ...Come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:15-16)

-  Ask seek and knock: Ask, and it will be given seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matt. 7:7-8)
These three words are very strong – they are not a plaintive request, but an ardent cry 

   Ask: Greek word aiteō means to beg, crave, require or desire

   Seek: Greek word zēteō means to seek expecting to find, to crave or demand

   Knock: Greek work kruō means to knock with a heavy blow - with the knuckles

-  Ask according to His will: ...if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (1Jn. 5:14-15)

-  Ask from the place of abiding in Him and in the Word: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
 (Jn. 15:7)

-  Ask from a life of obedience: And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. (1Jn. 3:22)

-  Ask in agreement with others: Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Matt. 18:19)
(Go here to learn about agreement)

-  Ask in faith: And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Matt. 21:22)

   But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Jas. 1:6

-  Ask in the name of Jesus: And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
 (Jn. 14:13-14)

   Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (Jn. 16:24; Jn. 16:26)

Results of asking correctly:

-  He delights in granting our request: Matt. 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

-  He will give us what we ask for: Jn. 11:22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.

Jn. 16:23 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

-  He will do far more than we even dare to ask: Eph. 3:20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] (Amp)

Examples of asking prayers

• 1Chron. 4:10 Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request.

• Ps. 2 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession.

• Ps. 51 In this psalm, David is mostly praying for himself – he makes many requests

- v1   Have mercy on me

- v2   Wash me, cleanse me and make me whole

- v7   Purify me, wash me

- v8   Let me rejoice again

- v9   Blot out my sins and don’t look at them ever again

- v10   Create in me a clean heart and renew my spirit with perseverance and steadfastness

- 11  Don’t ever take Your presence or Your Holy Spirit from me

- 12  Restore joy in me and make me willing to obey You

- 14  Forgive me for shedding blood

- 15  Unseal my lips so that I can praise You again

- v18   Grant favor again to Zion – the place and people of Your presence

• Zech. 10:1 Ask of the Lord rain in the time of the latter or spring rain.

• Matt. 6:9 – Lord’s prayer: Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."

There are seven petitions in this most wonderful prayer. The first 3 are a call to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - that the Father's name would be honored; that the kingdom Jesus, the Son died and rose for would be established; that the Holy Spirit would conform our will to His.

The final four petitions are needed in us so that the Gospel is released through us to rule throughout the earth - north, south, east and west: imagine the world filled with believers who depend on the Lord for their every need; are filled with forgiveness for all; have power over all temptation; and authority against every evil spirit - that is true Christianity.

The first three petitions reveal the glory of God to us so that His glory can flow through us to the entire world via the last 4 petitions:

We give honor to the Lord (Hallowed be Your name Matt. 6:9)

We call upon His Kingdom to come (Matt. 6:10)

We call upon His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10)

We call upon Him to provide for us day by day (Matt. 6:11)

We call upon Him to forgive all our sins as we forgive others (Matt. 6:12)

We call upon Him to help us stand against temptation (Matt. 6:13)

We call upon Him to deliver us from the evil one (Matt. 6:13)

• Jn. 17:1-26 – Jesus’ prayer

John 17 is often referred to as the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. It is the longest recorded prayer that we have, and by far, the greatest prayer recorded in the Bible. In it, Jesus prayed for Himself, the disciples and us - those who would become disciples in the future. When Jesus prayed for us in John 17 He asked His Father for 7 things on our behalf:

- V11 Keep them in Your care

- V11 Unify them just as You and I are one. Also V21 - That we will be one with the Father in the same way that Jesus is one with the Father

- V13 Fill the Church with joy

- V15 Keep the Church safe from the evil one

- V17 Sanctify them (make them pure and holy and entirely Yours V19)

- V24 That the Church would be able to see God's glory

- V 26  That the love of God may be in the Church

Prophetic Prayer Part 2: HERE