Praying from God's throne

As Christians, we can pray from God's throne.

If you think about it, that is a great claim.  It gives us an even greater view of the power and privilege of prayer.

I take this claim from the apostle Paul's statement in Ephesians 2:6 that God "seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus".  So, because I have faith in Jesus, I am united with him and am sitting with him in heaven.

And Jesus is constantly interceding for me and all believers before the Father (Hebrews 7:25).

Now, I realize I am still on earth and have a lot of faults.  But, at the same time, I am in Jesus and Jesus is in heaven, praying for his people.

I believe I can pray what Jesus prays - if I surrender what I want and seek what he wants.  The apostle John says as much in 1 John 5:14-15.

Being seated with Jesus in heaven is a great honour.  Of course, we aren't there because of our perfect lives - we are there because God placed us in his family as a result of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

Still, it is a real privilege because God considers us as co-workers or partners in carrying out his plan on earth (2 Corinthians 6:1).

I draw several conclusions from this:

• I have an intimate relationship with Jesus;
• Jesus loves me and wants me to become more like him;
• Jesus is praying for me and other believers before the Father;
• I am a partner with Christ - in prayer and in other ways - in carrying out God's will; and
• Through prayer, I can help assure God's plan is carried out if my prayers are aligned with Jesus' prayers.

So, my vision as a prayer warrior can be as wide as the world.  Prayer warriors throughout history have prayed from great distances with dramatic results.

Is it possible to know what Jesus is praying for?  I believe it is.

The scriptures give us insight into what Jesus wants.  And the Holy Spirit prompts us.

In Psalm 37:5, David writes: "Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him and he will help you."

Brother Lawrence, a French monk, said centuries ago that he did everything - even picking up a stick - for the love of God.  He "practiced the presence of God", conversing with the Lord and listening to his guidance during his everyday tasks.

He found that God guided him constantly, so that he could handle well even the tasks he hated.

I am convinced that kind of relationship with God is the key to powerful prayer - praying like Jesus.

It's up to me to live that kind of life.

The eternal benefits of praying like Jesus are immense.