«　WEEK 6　DAY 2　»

　　Eph. 1:20-22 Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come;...and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.

　　The fourth main point [of the heavenly vision] is 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. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, p. 162)

　　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....When you meet [a brother], 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 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 this second way of prayer we touch the authority of Christ. We must see, however, that we can never pray in this way by ourselves. This does not mean that we must always physically gather together with a few other brothers. Physically, you may be praying in your room by yourself, but spiritually, you are one with the Body. When you are alone in your room, sometimes you may choose not to use the pronoun I; instead, you may use the pronoun we, praying, "Lord, we do not go along with the present situation. As Your Body, we take the ground of Your ascension and claim Your lordship over the present situation." This is a different kind of prayer. This is not prayer that begs the Lord to do something for you; this is prayer that claims what the Lord has obtained.

　　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? (CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, pp. 162-163)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, pp. 159-166