Apparently, our greatest need is for his kingdom to invade our lives and our worlds.

But the scene is a brilliant depiction of how Christians often pray—frantic, impulsive, chaotic.

We are God’s sons and daughters, his friends and allies, now princes and princesses in his kingdom, wielding his authority; and we get to play a dramatic role in the story.

What I love about the story is not only the miracle but the relationship Ananias has with Jesus—notice his comfort level in arguing with Jesus about the plan(!). You get the impression Ananias and Jesus are friends, comrades, partners in this young revolution called Christianity.

“Yes—that is my point,” you might say. “I believe Jesus won. So why don’t prayers work better than they do? Isn’t Satan defeated?” Stay with me now, because this has staggering implications for you and the way you pray. The invasion of the kingdom of God is something that is still unfolding, right now, today.

I love the phrase “So . . . they went.” It’s such an understatement. These men set in motion a series of events that changed the world. Because they “went” anointed with the power of God.

Often when we first turn to prayer, we are coming in out of the Matrix—that whirling, suffocating Mardi Gras of this world—and it takes us some time to calm down and turn our gaze to Jesus, fix our gaze on him. We begin to tune in and align ourselves with God as his partners. That itself takes some time. Much of the early stages of our praying invo

Not only a son or daughter, you are also a friend of God—his confidant, his ally in bringing about his work on this earth.

This is how the father feels about you—the embrace, the kiss, all of it.