Praying Forward

This past weekend, Steve labeled and described an important type of praying and I asked him to develop those thoughts a little more so I could drop in here as a guest post. Here’s what he submitted on the subject of “PRAYING FORWARD.”

Praying Forward – Guest Post: Steve Hickey

In worship this past weekend it dawned on me how the lyrics we were singing were really visionary prayers.

I see a generation

Rising up to take their place

With selfless faith, with selfless faith

I see a near revival

Stirring as we pray and seek

We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees

(Vs. 2 Hosanna, © Brooke Fraser, Hillsong United)

When the song was over I really felt led to make a few comments about “PRAYING FORWARD.” Are we praying what we are seeing in the Spirit? Or, are we praying only about what is unfolding in the flesh?

My best praying happens when I’m in a revelation flow, when God is showing me something that is about to be. So much Christian praying is about right now. We are so caught up in the moment needing God to take care of this or that – Perhaps our praying is equally full of gratitude for things past, but the song makes me think about praying forward.

Praying forward is when God starts to show you pieces of the destiny of something or someone and you start praying that revelation back to him. It’s contending for something to come. You can do this praying for your kids. Instead of just praying for whatever it is right now, you pray over them what God has shown you for their future. Praying forward is vital to calling something into being. Praying forward changed how I prayed for our church. Instead of praying about how right now we need this, or how right now this is going on… I started to pray some of the aspects of what God has shown me for our church.

Prayer isn’t bound by time or place. It’s trans-geographical and ageless. We can contend and war right now in the spiritual realm of any region on earth and for any point in time past, present or future. (You say, “Past? How so?” One example is how in prayer we release people from something they’ve done to us in the past.) Praying forward is the privilege of those invited by God to rule and reign with him over the affairs of the earth calling forth his Kingdom now and yet to come. Intercessors shape history.

Praying Forward starts in quietness. One must settle the commotion of right now. Then ask God to show you what he sees for your kid or your church or whatever. Ask for eyes to see beyond right now into the realm of what God is doing and about to do in your region. I’m finding that the devil is so right now oriented. The devil has no vision for tomorrow. Praying forward puts us far out ahead of him. The days ahead, what’s yet to come, something or someone’s created purpose or destiny… this is all God’s domain. Praying someone or something forward ultimately has the effect of pulling them out of what ails them right now drawing them into God’s dream for their life.