V. PRAYER ON THE THRONE
A prayer such as that just referred to is a prayer on the throne, even a reigning prayer. Man’s emotion, temper, flesh, opinion, and grievance need to be thoroughly dealt with in such a case. Whenever we have a grievance or anger, we fall from the heavens to the earth and immediately lose our position of ascension to pray. Thus, we have no way to pray.
VI. PRAYER OF WARFARE
All prayers that are expressed in the heavenly realm and from the throne of God are prayers of warfare. He who prays in this way is one who has passed through the cross, resurrected, and ascended. He is on the throne, far above the earth, and is not touched by any earthly thing. The prayers which he expresses from such a realm are prayers that can defeat the Devil in the air and bring down God’s authority. Like Daniel’s prayer, such prayer is able to bring the things of heaven to the earth. It is able to get the heavenly authority through the air and bring it to the earth. This is the fighting prayer.
Please consider: is there a sinner who does not want to be saved? Is there a saint who does not want to love the Lord? All sinners want to be saved, and all saints desire to love the Lord. But because there is someone in the air who usurps men and controls the men on earth, sinners are prevented from receiving the gospel, and saints are hindered from seeking the Lord. So it is not enough that we only preach the gospel and minister the Word. We must rise up and live in the heavenly realm to touch the throne of God as Daniel did. We must pray to God that God’s heavenly authority may be brought down to the earth. If this is done, you will see that one by one sinners will be saved, and one by one saints will rise up to seek and love the Lord. For here there are fighting prayers driving away the power of darkness, bringing in God’s authority, and as a result, causing God to have His will done on earth. They enable God to carry out His salvation and give grace to His children according to His good pleasure.
So every praying person should be one who is in the heavenly realm, touching God’s throne, and therefore, able to pour down prayers from heaven. As you are above the earth, the air, and the power of darkness, and are seated together with Christ on the throne of God in the heavenlies, the prayers you utter are prayers of warfare. Having understood this point, you will turn the focus of your attention from man to the Devil. When a sinner fails to receive salvation, you should pray, “O God, it is not that he would not repent, but it is the Devil that is usurping him. I pray that You cast out the Devil from him.” When the husband and the wife are in a family quarrel, you will not blame the brother or the sister. Your eyes will see that the brother and the sister are under the power of darkness. So the target of your prayers will not be the brother or sister, but the power of darkness that is behind them and on them. This is the wrestling spoken of in Ephesians 6. This is not wrestling against blood and flesh, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. The target with which we are dealing in our prayers is not man but the Devil. All the problems in the church are not with the brothers and sisters, but with Satan. The problems in the family also are not with the husband, the wife, or the children, but with Satan. The object of the prayer of spiritual warfare is not at all men of blood and flesh, but the Devil of the spiritual realm. If we are in the heavenly realm, we are able to pray such prayers of ascension, that is, prayers of warfare. Such prayers of warfare are for the driving out of Satan and the ushering in of God’s kingdom.
(Lessons on Prayer, Chapter 18, by Witness Lee)
