Legal Stewardship of Earth

It is God’s will for all Christians to pray, yet we have so many questions:

The question for today is: If God is sovereign, and can do whatever He wants, then why pray?

I remember when I was ignorant about prayer. I didn’t know how to pray or what to pray. I think most people start out that way. The devil doesn’t want you to learn how to pray, or accomplish anything. He hates that.

But the Bible tells us, “The prayer of a righteous person… can accomplish much” (James 5:16).

I used to tell my wife, “What’s the use in praying? God’s going to do what ever He wants anyway! Just relax and see what He does.” At that time I figured if God is going to fulfill His will, then prayer seemed to be an argument. I felt like I was just along for the ride.

I was a Spirit-filled Christian at the time! I had a Bible College diploma and could study the Word. I knew that practically every other page of the New Testament urged Christians to pray. But some of the details of the sovereignty of God were still a mystery to me.

When I began to understand the importance and purpose of prayer, and especially the responsibility and authority involved. I finally began to experience power and positive results in my own prayer life. What a blessing! Every Christian should understand the value and purpose of prayer. What I’m going to share with you today, I didn’t learn in church or Bible college.

To understand the purpose of prayer, we need to understand the will of God. Prayer has to do with God’s authority structure between heaven and earth.

Prayer is how God’s authority works between heaven and earth. It has to do with His faithfulness to His Word. Prayer was born out of God’s plan for man’s assignment on earth. It began during God’s creation process when He spoke three words: “let them rule.” These words are recorded in the first chapter of the Bible.

Gen 1:26 (NASB) –Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.”

These words are crucial in understanding the importance and purpose of prayer, since they define God’s intended relationship and purpose for man and the planet earth.

God’s authorization for man to dominate the earth was established in the declaration, “Let them rule.”

By these words God defined the parameters of His right to legally influence and intervene in the earth realm. This is based on the principle of God’s integrity and His commitment to His Word. This is important, we must understand these four principles:

• God’s purpose is more important than our plans.


• God has placed His Word above even Himself.


• God will never violate or break His Word.


• God’s holiness is the foundation of His integrity and faithfulness.

These are the essential building blocks, the foundation to an understanding of the importance and purpose of prayer. These principles actually make prayer necessary.

The first principle establishes the truth that the Creator’s commitment to His original intent for creation is a priority for Him, and motivates and regulates all His actions.

In essence, everything He does is driven by His will, which never changes. He makes this clear when He says, “Many are the plans in man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Pr 19:21). He goes on to make sure we get this;

Isa 46:10 (NASB) –Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

Isa 55:11-12 (NASB) –[11] So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it. [12] “For you will go out with joy And be led in peace; The mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Eph 1:11 (NASB) –In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will,

Heb 6:17 (NASB) –In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to the heirs of the promise the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, confirmed it with an oath,

Mt 5:18 (NASB) –“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!

These verses reveal God’s eternal, uncompromising commitment to His purpose and plans. His purpose is His will and intent, which He Himself will fulfill. We also need to know, that His commitment to fulfill His purpose will never be at the expense of violating His spoken or written word.

The Word of God is not just the law for man, for it is also called “the Law of God.” This implies that every word God speaks is also a law to Himself. He will subject Himself to His promises and decrees because of His integrity.

In the book of Psalms, we find these words:

Ps 119:89-90 (NASB) –[89] Forever, LORD, Your word stands in heaven. [90] Your faithfulness continues throughout generations; You established the earth, and it stands.

Ps 138:2-3 (NASB) –[2] I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your mercy and Your truth; For You have made Your word great according to all Your name. [3] On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.

The fact that He places His Word above all things, including His name, is an important principle because one of the Hebrew concepts for name is “the being” itself. Therefore, in application, God places His Word above Himself, submitting Himself to the dictates of His own Word.

So, whenever God speaks, He Himself is willfully obligated to obey His own Word. Therefore, any law of God is also a law to God. He is faithful to His Word at all costs. When we understand that, we can appreciate the implications and the impact of these initial words spoken by the Creator at man’s creation: “Let them rule [“have dominion” KJV, NKJV] over….the earth” (Gen 1:26).

Please note that He did not say. “Let us rule,” but rather, “Let them rule [“have dominion” KJV, NKJV] over….the earth” (Gen 1:26). With this statement, God created seven fundamental facts, or laws:

• The legal authority to dominate earth was given to mankind only.


• God did not include Himself in the legal authority structure over the earth.


• Man became the legal steward of the earth domain.


• Man is a spirit with a physical body; therefore, only spirits with physical bodies can legally function in the earth realm.


• Any spirit without a body is illegal on earth.


• Any influence or interaction from the supernatural realm on earth is only legal through mankind.


• God Himself, who is a Spirit without a physical body, made Himself subject to this law.

The following are the results of these laws, which were established by God Himself:

• The legal authority on earth is in the hands of mankind.


• The Lord, because of His integrity, will not violate the law of His Word.


• Nothing will happen in the earth realm without the permission of man, who is its legal authority.


• God and His angels cannot intervene in the earth realm without the cooperation or permission of mankind.


• God must obtain the agreement and cooperation of a person for whatever He desires to do in the earth.

These fundamentals are critical for understanding the nature, power, and purpose of prayer. From these principles, we get our definition of prayer, which will become clearer as we study the wonders of prayer.

So, What is Prayer?

• Prayer is man giving God the legal right and permission to interact in the earth’s affairs.


• Prayer is man giving heaven earthly license to influence earth.


• Prayer is a terrestrial license for celestial intervention.


• Prayer is man exercising his legal authority on earth to invoke heaven’s influence on the planet.

These aspects of prayer may be shocking to you, but a close study will explain many statements made in Scripture as they relate to heavenly activities on earth. Let’s take a look at a few:

2Chr 7:14 (KJV) –If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Lk 18:1 (NASB) –Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged,

Eph 6:18 (NASB) –With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,

1Thes 5:16-18 (NASB) –[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Mt 16:19-20 (NASB) –[19] “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” [20] Then He gave the disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was the Christ.

Mt 18:18-20 (NASB) –[18] “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. [19] “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. [20] “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

These scriptures give mankind the authority and right to determine what happens on the earth. In fact, a careful biblical study of God’s dealings with mankind and the earth reveals that He did nothing on earth without the cooperation of a person.

Every action taken by God in the earth realm required involvement of a human being. To rescue humanity in the flood, He needed Noah. For creation of a nation, He needed Abraham. To lead the nation of Israel, He needed Moses. To bring back Israel from captivity, He needed Daniel. To defeat Jericho, He needed Joshua. For the preservation of the Hebrews, He needed Esther. For the salvation of mankind, He needed to become a man.

As John Wesley once said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Prayer is not an option for mankind but a necessity. If we don’t pray, heaven cannot be involved with earth’s affairs.

It is imperative that we take responsibility for the earth and determine what happens here by our prayer lives.

I hope you will discover your power, authority, and rights in the earth, and take your position to become a faith channel for heavenly influence in earth’s affairs.

Heaven depends on you, the earth needs you. Without you, heaven will not – and without heaven, earth cannot.

Remember Jesus’ great prayer request when He was asked by His disciples how man should pray:

Mt 6:9-11 (NASB) –[9] “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [10] ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. [11] ‘Give us this day our daily bread.

Heaven needs you and me to give it permission to effect earth. You can make a difference and change the course of history if you will just understand the importance and purpose of prayer.

Let’s pray together:

Mt 6:9-14 – [9] …Our Father in heaven, your name is holy. [10] May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us today the food we need, [12] and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. [13] Keep us from temptation, and the evil one. [14] “We forgive those who sin against us, thank you Father, for forgiveness.

Lord, we thank you for Holy Spirit. He leads us into all truth and even shows us things to come.

Holy Spirit helps us in everything. We appreciate Him so much. We embrace Holy Spirit, and we thank Him for working through us in these last days.

Step by step, day by day, hour by hour, we need you Lord. Amen!

Remember: Whatever stands between you and your Bible is your enemy!

God bless you my friend,

— Dwight Hammond