Chapter 11: Levels of Prayer
FOUR LEVELS OF PRAYER
I believe that there are four “levels” of prayer, as we grow spiritually. And within these four levels there are several “types” of prayer — there are at least two types of “more-effective” prayer and at least two types of “less-effective” prayer.
Regarding the “Types” of prayer:
Two of the less-effective prayers are the “Prayer of Obligation” and the “Prayer of Last Hope”. We do the Prayer of Obligation out of a sense of duty: it’s expected of us by the church, we’ve been doing it since childhood, it’s one of the things God requires of ‘good’ Christians, etc.
We offer the Prayer of Last Hope when we’re in a difficult situation, when we need serious help, when things are beyond what we can handle ourselves. We call on God’s character traits; different ones, depending on our need at the time — mercy, justice, forgiveness, lovingkindness, etc. However, for too many of us, there remains an underlying sense of doubt that He will actually do anything. We think He probably won’t really help us, but we’re desperate, so we try.
Two of the more-effective prayers are the “Prayer of Faith” and the “Prayer of the Spirit”. It’s important to know both, but learning how takes time. So we begin using them as we are able. Once you know how to do the first, use it. When you’re able to receive the second, use both.
To Pray in Faith is to claim a Biblical promise, then believe that God will keep His word. When choosing a promise you must be sure that the specifics of that promise apply to your situation. When you are sure it does, then you claim it for yourself. If it is the right promise for you, then at some point while you pray, the HS will give you a sense of Peace about the problem. You will feel sure that He will indeed grant the promise. Once you get that feeling of Peace, then change your prayer into giving Thanks; and continue holding your faith as you wait for the blessing to come. The length of the waiting time varies from one situation to another. Over time, you learn to trust in God as your Father and believe that your request will be given.
To Pray in the Spirit is to pray according to the words the HS gives you directly. In other words, the HS prays through you. Ro 8:26-27 tells us that the HS will teach us what to pray, and in fact will pray for us. This type of prayer usually comes after the BHS experience, but if you’re really in tune with God it can come before. What happens is you start praying according to what you’ve planned to pray, but as you go along something starts leading your prayer beyond what you intended. You find yourself praying for something you had no idea about when you first started your prayer. And when you think about it after the prayer, you can only explain it by recognizing that the HS took over while you were praying. It can be a strange sensation at first; but as you get used to it, you grow to where you want Him to pray instead of you, because you know that when He prays it’s much more powerful.
Regarding the “Levels of Prayer”:
* The first level is “the Prayer of the Sinner”. This is the typical powerless prayer which so many Christians pray that seemingly goes no further than the ceiling. It’s weak, indefinite, lasts only a few minutes, and holds no expectation of being answered. It’s only calling upon God’s mercy. When these prayers aren’t answered people usually make excuses, “Well it wasn’t God’s will”. We see this prayer mentioned in Is 1:15-17. The primary effectiveness of this type of prayer is 1) to ask for forgiveness, and 2) to ask for the HS.
“When you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash, and make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil; learn to do well. Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (KJV)
* The second level is “the Prayer of the Righteous”; a righteous man or righteous woman. (This is also referred to as the Prayer of Faith.) We’re told about this prayer in Ja 5:16, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”; These prayers are powerful and effective. They are based on God’s promises. As we grow in experience and grow in faith, our prayers become more bold and we see wonderful answers to our prayers. Still, we must meet the specified conditions and must wait on God’s timing. The goals of these prayers are to intercede for others for their forgiveness and healing, and for ourselves to grow closer to God and receive an even greater measure of the HS.
* The third level of prayer is “the Prayer of the Spirit”. (This is also referred to as the Prayer of the Prophet.) This is the kind of prayer spoken when the Holy Spirit guides your thoughts and directs you what to speak. He may even have you pray for things about which you of yourself have no knowledge; then afterwards the person asks how you knew to mention that, and all you can say is that the Holy Spirit prayed for it. For example, someone asks you to pray for their back pain, but as you pray you’re led to also pray for their job situation; they then ask how you knew that they had a problem at work, and you don’t know why you prayed that. We see this prayer mentioned in Ro 8:26, “We don’t know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us.” We need a great measure of the HS to have this kind of faith and understanding. The goal of these prayers is to know when and how to do mighty works for God. These prayers are not to ask God to do our will, but to ask God to work through us to do HIS will. Instead of asking, “Lord, what will You do for me?”, we begin asking, “Lord, what do You wish to do next through this your servant?”
* The fourth level of prayer is “the Prayer of Deliverance”. (This is also called the Prayer of the Father’s Business.) This is the kind of prayer that the Apostles and the great prophets offered once they had fully come into their status as sons of God. These prayers call upon an intimate relationship with God and they come after a special bestowal of the full measure of Pentecost. These are the kind of prayers that produce remarkable miracles and often instant results. Very few people are at this level yet. We can get there, if we are willing to do what’s needed. At this level you know that whatever you ask will be granted. You then proceed to go about your Father’s business as if it were your own; because it is indeed now your own business also. We see this prayer mentioned in Mt 21:21-22.
“Verily I say to you, if you have faith and doubt not, you shall not only do what is done to the fig tree but also if you say to the mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea’, it shall be done. All things whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”(KJV)
As righteous men and women we can pray for and receive miraculous answers from God. But they’re distributed by Him in His timing. This is different from actually possessing the special gift of working miracles at will. That comes only after receiving the full Pentecost experience.
LEVELS OF FAITH
Ep 2:8, “By grace are you saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
As you look at the phrase ‘this is a gift from God’, many people apply it to the word ‘grace’ but it should be applied to the word ‘faith’. To be completely accurate it actually modifies both ‘grace’ and ‘faith’. In other words this verse is telling us that ‘grace’ is a gift from God, and ‘faith’ is a gift from God. Keep this in mind as we look at its application.
In order to receive the HS, we need faith; in order to pray effectively, we need faith; in order to work miracles, we need faith. I explained about different levels of prayer — the prayers of the sinner, the righteous man, and the prophet. Likewise, there are different levels of faith; and they parallel the levels of prayer. Indeed it is our level of faith which determines our level of prayer.
Some people study about how to receive the HS for months and still don’t receive the BHS, while others receive the HS with their first prayer after learning what to do; and some people think this is unfair. However, the HS comes in response to your level of faith and your knowing how to use it. The purpose of this book is to help you grow spiritually so you can know how to receive the HS. Once you’ve developed to a certain point, it’s then just a matter of reaching out and taking hold of the HS. After that the HS must become your teacher. From there you’ll grow faster and farther than we can take you. We’re just here to help you get started.
The person who receives the HS with their first prayer has their faith already developed, and they’re just needing a little instruction in how to receive the HS personally. We don’t know what they’ve gone through up to this point. And the person who progresses very rapidly after their BHS experience is doing so because of completely surrendering to His leading. The thing which slows down some of us is our reluctance to let go of our own will and our own desires. In the beginning we fear what the HS may ask us to do if we agree to submit to Him. But once you experience Him and allow Him to transform your thoughts, then you no longer fear Him and you trust His love so much that you know He won’t ask you to do anything you don’t want to do.
It’s one thing to know we need more faith, but it’s another thing to know how to actually have this kind of faith. So how do we get it? Remember Ep 2:8 (above). Since faith is a gift from God, then we need to pray for Him to give us the faith we need. If you haven’t yet received the BHS, then pray for faith to receive it. If you’ve already received it in the past but have lost it again, then pray for faith to regain it and to be able to keep it. If you’ve received the HS and still have it, then pray for the next level of faith to be able to move up and pray with miraculous power.
When the Early Disciples were with Jesus they were praying as righteous men. When Jesus gave them power to heal and cast out demons, He was giving them the first measure of the HS. Then at Pentecost they received a second measure of HS and ascended to the level of prophets.
* Note: I’d like to make a clarification regarding the “Levels of Faith”. I’ve used this term because for the beginner this makes it easier to understand the concept involved regarding how our faith operates at different levels. However, to be more accurate it would be better to speak of the “effectiveness” of our faith; because the term “level” may give some people the impression that they don’t yet have enough faith. In other words, it is the effectiveness of our faith that progresses through different stages, rather than the “amount” of faith we have.
Some people will find this distinction helpful, while others may find it no more than a confusing argument of semantics. But for the benefit of those who find this distinction useful, I’d like to expand it a bit further.
In Mt 17:20 Jesus said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and nothing shall be impossible to you.” Most people understand this to mean that the faith we have, if any, is even smaller than a seed, so we need to ask for more. But this is a mistaken understanding! Ro 12:3 tells us, “God has dealt to every man a measure of faith.” So we can take it that we have the amount of faith we need. It’s just a matter of making our measure effective. With this understanding, as we look again at Jesus’ words they take on a new meaning. Paraphrasing renders it, “With faith even as small as a mustard seed it is possible to move a mountain.” With the measure of faith that’s been given to everyone you have enough to do anything, so learn how to effectively use what you already have.
Learning how to develop your measure of faith so that you can reach ever higher levels of effectiveness is the purpose of this book. Constant growth in our spiritual understanding comes from having the Holy Spirit dwelling within and keeping this relationship alive.
THE TIMING
Next, I’d like to talk about God’s timing to bless us. When we ask God to bless us with something we often try to work out all the details ourselves. We think, “I’d like to have this thing by this specific date; and to make it happen He could do this and this and this for me.” I believe that it is displeasing to God for us to tell Him how to do His work.
We can request of God WHAT we want Him to do for us, but we may not dictate to Him WHEN and HOW it should be done. Just present your request then leave the details up to Him. He likes to do things at times and in ways we’re not expecting.
He knows what we need and also what we want before we even come to Him in prayer. He’s looking for us to put our trust in Him and leave the request in His hands. Many times He waits to see if we’ll get impatient and grab the problem back to try to handle it ourselves. This isn’t because He likes to toy with us; it’s so that we can see for ourselves that we haven’t really left it in His hands in the first place. Once we’ve truly let go, He takes care of it quickly. God is trying to bring about in us a certain condition prior to giving us the awaited blessing. If we trust God, we’ll see miracles; but if we try to do things ourselves we’ll always wonder how much is from Him and how much is from our own efforts.
In Ac 1:6-7 we read that the Disciples once asked Jesus about the time of the restoration of Israel, and His reply to them was that the Father has reserved the determination of timing to Himself, and it is not given to them (or us) to know. So take a lesson from Jesus’ words to them and don’t try to infringe on God’s prerogative with regards to setting the timing of awaited events.
As righteous men and women we can pray for and receive miraculous answers from God. The thing is we can’t just jump to the next level and gallop away to Heaven ahead of the rest of the church. Although we are gaining proficiency in using the “Prayer of the Righteous”, we can’t proceed very far without our brothers and sisters. We must share what we’ve learned with the rest of our congregation and try to bring them to where we are before we can move ahead again. We’ve taken a step forward. Now we must help them take this same step, to be with us, before we can then take the next step forward. We must work so that we might all be saved together.
First, we don’t appreciate the full magnitude of how our sins affect God, and second God can’t give His full blessing and power until the church members put away their sins. In other words, whole congregations need to experience a revival and commit to living up to all we know to do.
This is where we come in. We need to pray for revival in our church. We need to awaken in our brothers and sisters a desire to get close to God by sharing our experiences and by letting them know the blessings that are available. And we need to teach everyone how they too may become forgiven and righteous, so that they can pray effectively. Then we’ll be ready to receive the power of Pentecost and move up to the next level of prayer.
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