I believe that means the authority (purpose, will, mission) of Jesus, much like I do with Matthew 28 and the Great Commission. I don’t believe that is a literal “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (you recite this as you are baptizing) but the authority of the Trinity. I think Acts shows us that baptism is into Jesus’death, burial and ressurection and I also see prayer throughout the NT never mentioning “in Jesus name”. But that is my opinion and I am stiking with it.

You are a stimulating brother I don’t know if my answers will be correct, but I will give them a shot and we can dialogue more about them.

1. I think Job is to be a picture of a suffering servant, much like our Savior who is suffering in Gethsatame but that could be an enitrely different post ) (we see Job interceding, bearing the falsehoods of his unfaithfulness, being rejected by his kinsmen….) Also please note, I said most often, many of the saints cried out with no physical avial and sometimes Jesus and the other writers tells us that God has not moved because we have not asked. Javetta has a good post over on her blog about the tension of the persistent wife.

2. Yes I think the Spirit intercedes on our behalf, especially in prayer, this again is why we need not worry “how” we pray but that we should worry “if” we pray. Based of of Romans 8. However that still does not negate the fact that we are to pray and that sometimes we do not receive because we ask with wrong motives or with a lack of trust.(James)

3. I think the mercy scripture is a salvific one but again that could be a different arguement.

4. I will try to group some of your last questions and sorry if they are rhetorical. I believe intercession can be done for those God has called us to pray for (so it isn’t that He has chosen not to hear, but that He wants us to serve one another in prayer, much like James and Peter, did God choose not to hear James? And hear Peter? I think God was glorified in the killing of James and answering the saints prayers in reference to Peter).

Prayer is for both not either or. God is worshipped and our prayers are like a sweet aroma unto Him and prayer benefits us because we get our needs met (or our hearts transformed) by a loving Father. I think it is both.

5. Yes I believe God is to be reasoned with in prayer. We see it with Abraham, Moses and many of the OT prophets. They interceded for the people of God. Much of that is reasoning about God’s glory.

6. Prayer is both. A tool to plug into our heavenly resouces and a blessing that we have the privellage to do so with a Holy God who shouldn’t allow humans to even speak of Him.

I remember wrting somethinf on facebook that reflected the point that if we prayed on a everyday basis like we do when we are in need what a difference it would make.

I think “favors” would be too strong of a word; however, I do believe that God moves on the behalf of those who come to Him more quickly and more often than those who don’t. We have to agree that humans are innately self-sufficient. This is why both the Jews and the Greeks (as Paul categorizes them) see the cross as foolishness. The Jew has the law the Greek his wisdom thus why do they need anybody to do anything for them? We even see this in the prayer of the Tax Collector and Pharissee.

Because of this self-sufficiency often times man will not turn to God as a child with humble depency and because of this they try to “pull themselves up by their boot straps” and miss the “favor” of God. This is where prayer becomes critical.

As it relates to supplication I think it could be a little of both for the ultimate purpose of God being worshipped. I pray for someone, God hears and moves, that person finds out what God has done he/she worships God and so do I, I get the reward of being used by God that person gets the reward of having their suffering relieved and God is worshipped.

Thank you for this post.

I really liked this: He goes from giving the process of prayer, to telling them not to be so consumed with the very things you receive. He concludes with making your primary focus the seeking of the Kingdom of God. Nestled within that seeking you find that God will address your personal needs.

I struggle with prayer. I recently read a book called The Power of Praying Together, Experiencing Christ Obviously Present and Actively in Charge. I long to see that premise become a reality in my life and the life of those I fellowship and share Christ with.