Prayer, declarations and decrees

 

"I shall have what I decree

Yes I believe it belongs to me

I shall have what I decree

Yes I believe it belongs to me

Speak."

- Myron Butler & Levi Quiz

More and more Christians are being asked to make 'declarations' over their lives for the things they are claiming from the Lord. They go through the process of 'decreeing and declaring' with the assurance that it will bring about the desired results of creating break-throughs in their lives.

But is it more effective than "the fervent prayer of a righteous man"?

Family and Religion reached out to the Reverend Garry Knowles, pastor of the Toll Gate Circuit of Baptist Churches, for insight on the issue. Acknowledging that the practice is becoming more popular in Christian prayers, he said people often begin their prayers by saying, "I decree and declare ... ."

Explaining the differences between the two words, he pointed out that it is often believed that in using them, one can more powerfully harness the power of what each does.

Knowles said that to decree means to have an authoritative order having the force of law. It could be the judgement of a court of equity, as well as being an official order, edict, or decision, as that of a Church, government, court, or by God, and is something that is or seems to be foreordained and is unbreakable. "Decrees are typically enforced, and if not upheld, those who break decrees are punished, and there could be legal consequences with the severity of the punishment equal to that of the level of whatever the decree prohibits."

'Declare', he said, comes from the Hebrew achvah, meaning to make known or to set forth an accounting. It is commonly used by customs agents, who ask international travellers, "Do you have anything to declare?" The agents are asking for specifics of what you have, what you are carrying.

Commenting on the two words in prayer usage, Knowles said that the discipline of prayer brings us into communion with God. In praying, a person engages in active dialogue with God. This implies that in praying, we not only talk to God, but we listen to what God has to say to us.

As Soren Kierkegaard, known theologian of the 1800s observed:

"A person prayed, and at first, he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realised that prayer was listening."

 

DECREES, DECLARATIONS AND PRAYER

 

Quoting an article by Denver Cheddie titled 'What does declare and decree mean?', Knowles shared that in it, the author alludes to the term with an example:

"I decree and declare that the job interview will be successful, and the job will be mine. That's a typical prayer. So why not just pray, 'Lord I petition you to give me favour in this job interview and that I will be hired for that job.'? There are some subtle differences. The first one appears to have more authority. And, the second one appears uncertain if it is God's will for you to have that job."

Using the two words in prayer, he said, can raise the concern that it gives authority to make pronouncements that can change the mind of God.

In shedding light on the usage of the words, Knowles said that a favourite scripture that is used to give credence to them can be found in Romans 4:17, which says, "... calling those things which are not as though they were".

However, he said that to get the correct interpretation, one only has to read the entire verse:

"Abraham believed God, who calls those things which are not as though they were".

Knowles also cited Psalm 2:7, where both words are used: "I will declare the decree: the Lord has said ... ." Knowles pointed out that if it's read carefully, it will show that the decree is the part that GOD said. The psalmist then declares that decree.

"In other words, we cannot decree anything, only God can. However, we can declare it. 'Declare' is a common word used in the Psalms to mean praise, boast, proclaim. So essentially, this verse is teaching us to boast about God's decrees, tell everyone about them. That's what 'declare' means. The Bible simply does not teach that we have any authority or power to 'decree and declare' things to happen. Only God has such power," he said.

Reiterating that prayer is a learning process, Knowles said that Christians should learn to pray by using the model prayer of Jesus as an example.

"In the model prayer of Jesus, there is one line we should take note of, the line that says, 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven'. An essential part of praying is submission to God's will. God values qualities such as humility and brokenness. It also displays an understanding of how God works," he said, adding that to decree and declare sounds a bit arrogant because it presumes authority that we do not really have. It also does not seem to take into consideration whether this is indeed God's will.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com