Eph. 3:9-10 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things, in order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church.
Praying Prayers of God’s Economy
Many Christians think that prayer is merely a matter of asking the Lord to give us what we need. However, the New Testament reveals that prayer is primarily for God’s economy, God’s eternal purpose (Eph. 1:10; 3:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:4). Everything in the two prayers in Ephesians is related to God’s economy: the hope of God’s calling; the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints (1:18); the surpassing greatness of His power toward us (v.19); and the power which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead, seating Him in the heavenlies, and making Him Head over all things to the church, which is the Body of Christ, the fullness of the One who fills all in all (vv.20-23). Ephesians also speaks of our being strengthened with power through the Spirit into the inner man (3:16), Christ making His home in our hearts, our being rooted and grounded in love (v.17), our apprehending the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ with all the saints (v.18), our knowing the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, and our being filled unto all the fullness of God (v.19).
In order to pray prayers of God’s economy, we need a heavenly vision of God’s economy and our relationship to it. We need to see that we are not for material wealth or earthly enjoyment but for God’s goal, kingdom, interest, and glory. The Lord Jesus told us to pray for the kingdom and that if we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, the Father will take care of our daily needs (Matt. 6:10, 33). If we serve the Lord, He will provide us with food, clothing, and shelter. Instead of being concerned with our needs, we should take care of God’s need, God’s economy, and trust the Lord to supply what is necessary for our health and our family. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 3, “Prayer in Ephesians”, ch. 3)
The Prayer of the Church as the Body of Christ
This kind of prayer is not the prayer of individual believers but the prayer of the church as the Body of Christ. This kind of prayer may be unfamiliar to us. We may know nothing about it because this kind of prayer is not something that we naturally consider. This is prayer that is based on the fact that we have the position and authority of Christ. In this kind of prayer we do not beg the Lord to do something for us. Instead, we claim what the Lord has obtained and attained. However, to pray in this way, we must have some realization of what the Lord has obtained and attained. Christ has obtained the lordship and the headship; He is the Lord, the Head over all things. The lordship and the headship are the most important aspects of what the Lord has obtained.
Once we realize what the Lord has obtained, we need to apply it. Actually, it is very simple to exercise the lordship and the headship of Christ. Suppose you meet a brother who is in a poor condition. When you meet him, you may sense that his condition and position are not right with the Lord. As a result, you may become burdened to pray for him. In this situation there are two ways you can pray. One way is the general way, the way taken by most believers when praying for others. In this general way you may go to the Lord and tell Him, “Lord, this brother is in a poor condition. Lord, be merciful to him. Do something with him. Work within his spirit.” This is the general way to pray for someone. However, there is another way to pray. This way is very special and may seem strange to us. It is not an ordinary way of praying; rather, it is an extraordinary way. In this way of prayer you are bold with the Lord. You may go to the Lord and say, “Lord, here is a brother who is still not under Your headship. I do not agree with this. I do not go along with this kind of situation. Lord, I am standing up to proclaim Your lordship and to claim it over this situation.” We can pray in this same way for a sinner: “Lord, Your lordship must be exercised over this person. Lord, I claim this.” We need to realize the difference between the general way of prayer and this second way of prayer.
In these days we need to learn to pray by claiming what the Lord has obtained. We also need to learn how to exercise what the Lord has attained, because the Lord has not only obtained to the highest extent; He has also attained to the highest height. Suppose, for example, that you become ill. If you have the vision of what the Lord has obtained and attained, when you are in this situation, you will pray, “Lord, You are the transcendent One. You have been exalted to the heaven of heavens. Lord, we are Your Body. We are sitting with You in the heavenlies. All things have been subjected under Your feet, and therefore all things are also under our feet. This little sickness is included in ‘all things,’ so this little sickness also must be under my feet. I am now transcendent with You.” Do you see the difference between this kind of prayer and the way in which we generally pray? Nearly every time we become sick, we go to the Lord and beg, “Lord, heal me. Lord, be merciful to me. Lord, be gracious to me.” This is to pray like a beggar. If we have the vision that we are the Body of the Head and that the Head has ascended to the heavens and is now transcendent, we will take the ground and claim what the Lord has attained. We will simply claim, proclaim, and declare to the sickness, “Do not trouble me; you are under my feet!” We can deal with sins, weakness, and worldliness in the same way. We should not deal with these things like a beggar. We can tell all these negative things, “Do not bother me. Go to the lake of fire! I am transcendent. You cannot touch me. You are under my feet.” Whenever the devil hears this kind of prayer, he runs away. We should simply declare who we are and where we are. We are in the Body, the Body is in the Head, and the Head is transcendent.
Recovering the Prayer of the Age
We need to see the vision of the ascended Christ and learn to pray the prayer of authority. For two thousand years these matters have been neglected, but we believe that in these last days the Lord is going to recover them. Too often we do not take the ground of Christ’s ascension and claim what He has obtained and attained. Nevertheless, we believe that the Lord will recover this lost ground. This is the highest peak, the highest mountain of the good land. In these last days the Lord will recover this highest peak, this highest mountain. We must realize the facts, take the ground, and claim what the Head has obtained and attained. This is the prevailing prayer of the church. This is the prayer of the age. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, “Prayer on the Ground of Christ’s Ascension”, ch. 2)
