Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard J. Foster
Week 10: Moving Outward — Authoritative Prayer & Radical Prayer
Read Chapters 16–17 of Prayer by Richard Foster ("Authoritative Prayer" and "Radical Prayer"). Key Scripture: Matthew 18:18–20; Luke 18:1–8.
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Two of the most challenging and exhilarating forms of prayer await us here: praying with real spiritual authority against evil, and praying with the bold audacity of the persistent widow. These chapters ask whether we really believe prayer changes things.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Foster describes 'Authoritative Prayer' as prayer that speaks directly to situations, circumstances, and spiritual forces — not just asking God to act, but praying as one who has been given authority to act in Jesus's name. How does this feel different from typical petition? Does it feel presumptuous or faithful?
2.Foster draws on Jesus's model — speaking to the storm, to demons, to fever — as examples of authoritative prayer. He suggests that Jesus sometimes prayed to the Father and sometimes addressed circumstances directly. What do you make of this pattern? When might one approach be more appropriate than the other?
3.Foster is careful to ground authoritative prayer in humility and discernment — it is authority derived from God, not generated by the self. What safeguards does he suggest against abuses of 'name it and claim it' theology? Do you find these safeguards convincing?
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