Powerful Proclamations

The following devotional is intentionally written by a fictitious character to illustrate common missteps in Christian resources. It is not an endorsement of these ideas, but a tool to help you practice discernment. 

As you read Quill’s devotional with a discerning eye, notice how the verses are used. Do they faithfully reflect the main points of their passages when read in context? Are there ideas that subtly undermine God’s character, or suggest that humans possess abilities or authority that belong to God alone?

Prayer: Dynamic Declarations by Quill Meanwell

In the first devotional in the Prayer series, we learned how prayer is as easy as breathing. We saw that when God breathed life into Adam, the very act of breathing was designed to say God’s personal name (Yahweh). Now we will see how the Creation story gives us the key to strengthening the power of our prayers. 

Even before Adam was created, God spoke. His words created light and life. His words formed the universe and filled it with plants and animals. Then God’s speech made Adam. He blessed Adam and gave him authority over creation. Specifically, in Genesis 1:28, God commands Adam to subdue and have dominion over everything. Adam’s first dominion task was to give names to the animals. In naming the birds, fish, and livestock, he used his words to give them their identity. Not only could Adam breathe God’s name, but now he began to use his words to actively shape creation. 

Life giving words. Wonder working speech. Words with the power to create and form. 

Just as God simply said, “Let there be….” he has given us the authority to use our words to make powerful proclamations! Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that life is in the power of the tongue. We can boldly and confidently pray for what we hope to see happen. 

At this point, you may be skeptical —why do our words sometimes fail to create the reality we expect? We know that God has promised us that our prayers are powerful. Rather than doubting God, it would be helpful to take some time to examine our hearts.  

Weak faith or a spirit of negativity will hinder our prayers. When we eliminate our fears and hesitations, then God can step in mightily to answer our life-giving prayers. We can pray like the psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and test my heart. See if there is any offensive way in me.”  These words will bridge the gap between our hearts and what we have declared in our prayers.

Breathing Yahweh’s name. Speaking powerful proclamations.
This is how we connect with God and bring light and life into his creation.

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Quill continues to encourage prayer and summarizes Genesis 1 & 2, suggesting that Adam’s task of naming the animals demonstrated the same authority and creative power as God. He implies that we can shape, create, form, and give life just as God did. This blurs the distinction between humans as God’s creation and God as the Creator, leading readers to believe that their words could be as powerful as God’s. These ideas reflect the “Word of Faith” movement, where followers are taught that their words carry equal authority with God’s and are encouraged to make bold declarations about what they wish to see happen.
Quill quotes Proverbs 18:21 to support the idea that our speech can make things happen. However, the book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings that use metaphor and imagery to instruct people in faithful living. When read in context, it is clear that Proverbs 18:21 was not intended as a literal guide for how we should pray. This verse, like many others in Proverbs, reminds us to be careful with our words. Our speech can help others—or it can hurt them. But our words cannot be equated with God’s words. We cannot create life or light, and we cannot change reality through our prayers.

Quill correctly points out that we often do not see the answers we expect to our prayers. It is true that our prayers can be hindered by sin we harbor in our hearts, and it is good to regularly pray Psalm 139:23–24 so that God can help us see what sinful attitudes or desires may lie behind our words. However, it is important to remember that God acts according to His will at all times. He is not waiting for us to have a perfect attitude or the perfect words before He responds.

Quill’s declarative prayers may give the impression that God is obligated to respond to our requests. If we say the right things, God dispenses what we ask for. If we eliminate doubt and use the correct language, God will act.  But prayer is not as simple or as transactional as Quill would like us to believe. True prayer frees us from the burden of making things happen. It invites us to rest in the assurance that God is at work, whether or not we have the perfect words.

Prayer is humbly acknowledging that we are God’s creation and that He is the Creator. When we pray, we are invited to come to our heavenly Father and ask Him for what we need. Often we do not ask with the right motives or for what is truly best for us, yet He delights to listen to us and loves to give us what is truly good.

As we consider what words to use when we prayer, we can follow the example of the model prayer in Matthew 6. Or we can read and meditate on Paul’s prayers in the New Testament (Ephesians 1, Philippians 1, Colossians 1, to name a few!) As we follow the models given in Scripture, and consider verses in their full context, we will better understand how to pray with wisdom and insight. 


See also:   Cookie Crumb Prayers
                    Biblical Meditation part 2