LifePoint recently completed a weeklong prayer campaign. We focused on two aspects of prayer and two kinds of praying. Our theme for the week stated: “Prayer is the first act of love, the first labor of mission.” Intercession is the first act of love, where we seek to bring God to the needs of people, as we bring people before God for their needs. Supplication focuses on the second phrase, the first labor of mission. In supplication, we labor for the mission of God’s Kingdom in the world. Supplication, like intercession, is a prayer of petition, in distinct manner. Supplication petitions God in prayer to bring His kingdom more fully into this world’s realm.
Two main Scripture passages form our understanding of supplication.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Matt 6:10
Jesus teaches the disciples to begin their prayer by petitioning God for His Kingdom to be done on the earth. All the Christian life is a matter of living aligned with what we know to be true. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. We are citizens of His heavenly Kingdom first and foremost, ambassadors sent to serve His message and ministry of reconciliation. Supplication petitions God for us to live under the present rule and reign of King Jesus in all of life.
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Ephesians 6:18
Paul culminates his instruction to the Ephesians with the single greatest act of spiritual battle, the labor of petitionary prayer through supplication. Supplication is the advancement of God’s children in the spiritual battle in which we are engaged in this world. Supplication is an offensive advancement of God’s Kingdom reality onto the present landscape of sin’s dark rule in this world. The whole of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 is an act of supplication as he prays the eternal truths of salvation over God’s people, exhorting us to live as we have been redeemed. Nothing reflects the eternal Kingdom of God on earth like God’s people living with the priority of obedient submission to Jesus.
Of all forms of prayer most commonly practiced, including adoration, praise, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession, supplication stands as our guiding request, but far too often our least practiced prayer. Jesus’ prayer model leads with prayers of supplication. Supplication should guide all our prayers, and all our praying.
Supplication labors for God’s mission in the world in three ways. First, Supplication pursues God’s Kingdom to align the heart’s of God’s people with God. Supplication is the principle means of aligning ourselves with God in prayer. Jesus teaches this in his model. Prayer aligns God’s people with His will and ways for Kingdom Impact in this world.
Supplication aligns us with God in four ways.
- Purpose: Supplications aligns the hearts of God’s people with God’s heart, his purpose, motivation and glory.
- Power: Supplications aligns the spirit of man humbled before God’s Holy Spirit, to be clothed with God’s power. Acts 1:8
- Plan: Supplications aligns man’s plan with God’s power. Prov 16:3
- Strategy: Supplications aligns man’s steps with God, who orders our steps. Prov 16:9
Second, supplication labors for the mission of God by prioritizing God’s kingdom over worldly ones. When we make petition before God, we prioritize His Kingdom over every other worldly Kingdom. Supplication addresses the issue of “why” are we coming before God as ambassadors in this world. We are sent by Him. We need his power and authority to work. We can do nothing on our own. We need God to work through us. E.M. Bounds reminds of the importance of prayer in the mission of God.
“Prayer has a great deal to do with missions. Prayer is the handmaid of missions. The success of all real missionary effort is dependent on prayer. The life and spirit of missions are the life and spirit of prayer. Both prayer and missions were born in the divine mind. Prayer and missions are bosom companions. Prayer creates and makes missions successful, while missions lean heavily on prayer.”[1]
Supplication conditions the way we pray in every request because it seeks to bring the reality of God’s kingdom to bear upon the situation of the people. In supplication we don’t just intercede for a need, but for God’s Kingdom purpose to come through the meeting of that need.
Third, supplication labors for the mission of God by placing God’s Kingdom in the world for His rule and authority to be recognized. Whereas intercession seeks to bring the needs of people to God, and God to the needs of people, supplication prays heaven down onto the earth here and now. Andrew Murray exhorts, “Prayer links the King on the throne with the Church at His footstool. The Church, the human link, receives its divine strength from the power of the Holy Spirit who comes in answer to prayer.”[2] The greatest recognition of living in God’s Kingdom now is prayers of supplication, laboring for God’s Kingdom mission of reconciliation in the world.
Andrew Murray also reminds us how important supplication is for the forward advancement of God’s mission through the local church in church planting. He states, “Prayer is still the only secret of true Church extension — prayer that is guided from heaven to find and send forth God-called and God-empowered men and women.”[3] If we do not or will not pray, God cannot work. Prayer is God working through His people. When we work, we accomplish what we can do. When we pray, we unleash God to work with His wonder-working power!
Intercession reaches up to heaven and across to others to bring the needs of people to God, and the power of God to people. Supplication strives to take hold of heaven and bring the eternal reality of Jesus’ rule and reign down to bear upon the present reality on earth here and now, through prayer. Supplication moves a person to the front-line trenches of Kingdom warfare in the world. Supplication doesn’t mean we ready for battle with the enemy; supplication picks a fight with Satan.
This week LifePoint launches a prayerwalking strategy to love our city. Too often this work is belittled labor. Rather, it is essential first labor, the first work of mission. We must ready ourselves to engage the battle and fight the enemy through prayer. LifePoint, we have much that God wants to do this year. Let us not allow any attack of the Evil One to thwart the work of God among us. Onward, Christian soldiers!
[1] E. M. Bounds, The Essentials of Prayer: Prayer and Mission, (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, 2006), p90.
[2] Andrew Murray. The Best of Andrew Murray on Prayer, 17-0227
[3] Andrew Murray, The Best of Andrew Murray on Prayer, 17-0227.