Praying From Above

Praying from Above

He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6

BELIEVERS IN JESUS are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). We have been raised up into new life with Jesus and are seated with him in heavenly realms—at God’s right hand, far above all rulers, authority, and powers (Ephesians 1:20-21). This exalted position with him is not a far-off aspiration; we are in it already. In a very real sense, we walk in two realms simultaneously, living out our material lives on earth while spiritually inhabiting a supernatural Kingdom.

When we pray, then, why do we most often see ourselves as praying from earth to heaven rather than the other way around? Why do we envision ourselves speaking upward to God, asking him to pour the blessings of heaven into our earthly realm? Perhaps it’s because we follow the instincts of virtually every religion, which almost always divides the universe into above and below, ourselves being below until we die. But if God has brought our citizenship in heaven forward—if we can go ahead and live from the reality of heaven long before our physical bodies die—we have the opportunity to envision, access, and pray for heaven’s blessings with an eye on earth rather than praying as earthly citizens with an eye toward heaven.

What’s the difference? That vision of our citizenship in heaven changes our perspective. We no longer see ourselves as reaching for something not quite attainable. We see it within arm’s length, available for us not only to claim for our own lives but also to minister to earthly needs around us. Paul told us to fix our minds on things above, where Christ is, which is also where we are (Colossians 3:1-2), which means we can see ourselves as ministers of heaven’s realities in earthly realms. In other words, we are no longer beggars; we are benefactors. And we are invited to pray with that authority as stewards of the great King. When we see ourselves for who we are, we pray with the faith of those who have already received and have plenty to share. And that changes everything.

We talk about heaven being so far away. It is within speaking distance of those who belong there.