AUDIO PODCAST

SUMMARY

In this post we will be looking at prayer from a Scriptural perspective. In it we will explore the following:

• Genesis 1:26 as foundational
• The Greek of James 4:2 and αἰτεῖσθε explored
• The Hebrew concept of שָׁאַל (sha’al) 
• The legal, covenantal language of the Lord’s Prayer
• The co-heirship with Christ and the need to ask even for what is ours
• Commentators like Matthew Henry, Calvin, and Barnes
• A devotional prayer, memory verse, reflection questions, and theological insights

WHY THIS MATTERS

In an era marked by striving, scarcity, and spiritual fatigue, many believers find themselves stuck in cycles of lack—not because God is withholding, but because they are not asking.

But this is no mere encouragement to “pray more.” This is a call to rise up into your divine vocation as one who has been given dominion and legal agency on the earth. It is not enough to wish. You must speak. Command. Ask. Demand justice.

The neglect of prayer is not innocent. It is a form of rebellion against the delegated dominion given to man in Genesis. And until that dominion is activated in partnership with heaven, the inheritance of the saints lies dormant—unclaimed, though fully paid for.

THE DOMINION MANDATE: GENESIS 1:26–28

“Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion…”
(Genesis 1:26)

The first divine decree over mankind was not a moral rule or a worship ritual—it was a mandate to rule. Man was created as a governing agent on the earth, with the breath of God in his nostrils and the jurisdiction of heaven in his bones.

Hebrew	Word	Meaning
רָדָה	radah	to rule, to tread down, to govern

Prayer is partnership with God and prayerlessness is refusing to partner with God.

Prayer, therefore, is not begging—it is the legal enforcement of heavenly will through human agency. To refuse to pray is to refuse to govern.

PRAYER AS A LEGAL FUNCTION

Christ reinforced this pattern when He taught His disciples to pray:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”
(Matthew 6:10)

Let’s examine the verb tenses in the Greek:

Greek	Transliteration	Mood	Meaning
ἐλθέτω	elthétō	Imperative	“Let it come”–a command, i.e., “do it”
γενηθήτω	genēthētō	Imperative	“Let it be done” decree-like, i.e., “do it”

These are not soft requests. They are legal petitions in the imperative voice. The Lord’s Prayer is not whispered submission; it is a righteous command issued by delegated kings.

The same applies to our needs:

“Give us this day our daily bread.”
“Forgive us… Deliver us…”

These are not passive phrases—they are present imperatives, lawful terms between heirs and a Father. Not because we demand it in arrogance, but because we have a legal mandate to rule and have dominion over the earth.

FROM FAVOUR TO JUSTICE: DEMANDING OUR INHERITANCE

Scripture teaches that the Messiah Himself—though heir of all—was still required to ask:

“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance…”
(Psalm 2:8)
Hebrew: שְׁאַל מִמֶּנִּי (she’al mimmeni) – Ask from Me

This word sha’al is not polite curiosity—it is petition with expectation. Even the Son had to demand what was rightfully His, and He could because He had the promise.

Where there is no promise, there can be no legal prayer. And if it is not legal, it is illegal and therefore ineffective.

That is why Scripture quotes the Lord stating,

“Put Me in remembrance; let us argue the matter together. State your case, that you may be proved right.”
(Isaiah 43:26, ESV)

You can’t base a case on feeling; no judge in the world would accept it. You either base your case on precedence, that is, the law, or you risk a miss-trial. The promise is the evidence that your case (petition) is based on. So pray the promise, not the problem.

That sets the pattern for us as co-heirs:

“All that I have is yours… you are always with me.”
(Luke 15:31)
“We are heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ.”
(Romans 8:17)

Our inheritance is based on Christ’s inheritance, therefore He says:

“For all the promises God has made are yes [to us who are] in Him, and … [we speak the] Amen [agreement with those promises], to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Yet James 4:2 diagnoses our spiritual malaise:

“You do not have because you do not ask.”
Greek: οὐκ ἔχετε διότι οὐ αἰτεῖσθε

EXAMINATION

Greek	Transliteration	Meaning
οὐκ	ouk	not (absolute negation)
ἔχετε	échete	you have
διότι	dioti	because
οὐ	ou	not
αἰτεῖσθε	aiteísthe	you ask (middle/passive, present)

• Aiteō = asking as one under authority, requesting from above.
• Tense = present active → it’s an ongoing failure to practice asking.

COMMENTARIES CONFIRM THE PATTERN

Matthew Henry:

“They have not, because they ask not. If they prayed more, they would suffer less… those who live in the neglect of prayer are often left to struggle in vain with their own desires.”

John Calvin:

“They do not obtain, because they do not seek God… or they ask with corrupted motives.”

Albert Barnes:

“God requires us to ask… though He knows our need, He has made petitioning the condition of receiving.”

In other words, heirs must still engage, they must make their demand. The inheritance is reserved but not released without legal invocation.

A HEBREW FOUNDATION: שָׁאַל (SHA’AL)

The Hebrew sha’al (to ask) forms the basis of Saul’s name—Sha’ul: the one “asked for.” Petition is woven into Hebrew thought not as grovelling, but as covenantal exchange; vows that must be agreed to become binding.

Even the prophets understood this. Justice was not merely an emotion—it was a transaction:

“Many seek the ruler’s favour; but justice for man comes from the LORD.”
(Proverbs 29:26)

This is why James is an inditement on those who persist in existential wrestling without relying on the Lord. But this is not how He works.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
(Zechariah 4:6, KJV)

Zechariah 4:6 is a key prophetic verse that integrates spiritual authority, divine enablement, and the mechanism of kingdom execution.

When read in the context of inheritance, dominion, and prayer, it reinforces the truth that even when we are called to command and ask, the power behind it is not human—but divine.

ASKING AS AN ACT OF WARFARE

James 4:7 continues the logic:

“Submit to God. Resist the devil. He will flee from you.”

There is no resistance to darkness without first submitting to legal protocol—that is, prayer. We ask (James 4:2), we submit (4:7), we resist, and then we inherit.

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Father,
I repent for every time I have lived like an orphan, forgetting that I am an heir.
I lay down pride, striving, and silence. I take up my inheritance by faith.
Teach me to ask again—boldly, rightly, reverently.
I do not want to die full of unclaimed promises.
Train my mouth to decree, my heart to expect, and my life to glorify You.
Let heaven hear my voice, not in desperation, but in dominion.
In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

MEMORY VERSE

“You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have , because you do not ask.”
(James 4:2)

KEY THEOLOGICAL TAKEAWAY

Asking is not begging. Asking is the legal function of a king under divine assignment. It is how sons claim what the Father already said was theirs.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Where in your life have you stopped asking because of discouragement or pride?
2. Do you view prayer as legal action or emotional pleading?
3. What is one promise of God you have yet to ask for boldly?
4. How would your prayer life change if you believed everything the Father has is already yours?
5. Have you truly understood your co-heirship with Christ, or are you still asking like a stranger?

CONCLUSION

God has not withheld His hand. But He will not violate His own order. The heavens are His, but the earth He has given to the sons of men (Psalm 115:16). If you won’t speak, heaven won’t move. But if you do—if you ask—you join Messiah Himself in demanding justice for your inheritance.

LIKE & SUBSCRIBE

HAS THIS POST HELPED YOU?