Author Derek Prince (1915-2003) was an internationally known Bible teacher and a “founding father” of Intercessor for America. Born in India of British parents, he became an American citizen primarily due to his unwavering belief that our biblical heritage made America the strongest hope to ignite a revival for the restoration of godly government and a restoration of biblical standards before the return of Jesus Christ, Lord of the Church. His best known book among intercessors (Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting) portrayed his belief in prayer and fasting to receive God’s highest blessings, both for individuals and for our nation. This series is a summary of the author’s own words; however, some editorial adjustments are made for space and clarity.        

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RULING BY PRAYER: DAY ONE

Derek Prince

As I open to you some of the limitless possibilities of believing prayer, let me remind you of three great truths.

First, God has made believers a kingdom of priests, and as such, our responsibility is to rule by prayer. This world is not really ruled by kings, governors, and dictators; they only seem to rule. Those who rule are those who know how to pray.

Second, to be effective, our prayers must be both directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 And third, the Spirit of God and the Word of God always work together. The power of the Holy Spirit only works through our prayers insofar as they are in line with the Word of God. To pray effectively, we must know what the Bible says.

For an Old Testament example, let’s look at Elijah. James 5:17-18 tells us that he was a man just like us. Yet he prayed, and it didn’t rain for three years and six months. His secret was that he applied the truths of God’s Word, and – as a result – he controlled the rainfall.

In Deuteronomy 11:16 and 17, God promised He would “shut the heavens so it will not rain” if Israel turned to idols. That happened in Elijah’s day, and true to His promise, God withheld rain. But when the people repented of their idolatry, Elijah was able to reverse God’s judgment, knowing that God would then “send rain on the land” (1 Kings 8:35,36). Prayers are effective when they’re in line with God’s promises in the Bible.

Psalm 33:6 speaks of the creation coming into being by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. That applies to our prayers. When God’s Word and God’s Spirit work together in our prayers, then the same power that brought the universe into being is flowing through us. 

Now let’s look at an example of prayer from the New Testament. Acts 12:1-11 records the acts of persecution by King Herod. First, he had James executed and Peter put in prison to await the same punishment right after Passover. But verse 5 says (and we will see just how important that little word “But” is), “But the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” While we often must pray alone, sometimes the need calls for corporate prayer. Here, many members of the young Church met together to pray.

What was the result? In this case, God sent an angel to deliver Peter. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are “ministering spirits,” and sometimes it takes our prayers to bring angelic intervention.

Later in the chapter, when Herod received the praise that should have gone to God, “an angel of the Lord” struck him down with a horrible death. Everything that had been resisting the Word and the purpose of God was overthrown. Herod sat on the throne, but the church ruled by prayer! There are several other examples in the Bible.

 The problem with many Christians today is they’re often too self-centered. Someone has characterized a typical prayer of the average church member as: “God bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife, us four – no more. Amen.”

Let me issue a closing challenge for our consideration in this and our following studies. Will you let God enlarge your horizon as we study more about intercessory prayer?