Praying in Jesus’ Name

Years ago I made a prayer list that included every person that I knew. I prayed through that list each week. Since then, we have moved more times than I can count and met many more people. I couldn’t keep up, but sometimes hear news about those on the list.

Yesterday, my sister-in-law told me about one man on my prayer list who was quite a “scoundrel.” He died about two weeks ago, but before that, he asked for another ‘scoundrel’ to come see him, a native American man who had become a Christian. This person led the dying man to the Lord.

I rejoiced at the news of his salvation, and also that God answered my prayers for him. I may never know about the others on that list, but knowing this one man met Jesus is one more encouragement to keep praying.

Jesus said much about prayer and His words are an encouragement also . . .

“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:25–28)

Asking “in Jesus name” is about my identification with Jesus Christ. Because He chose me as His child, and because the Father placed me ‘in Him’ (something like putting a bookmark inside a book), He considers me with the same regard in prayer as His Son. Awesome.  

Chambers adds that we don’t go to God to get answers but to express and experience “perfect and complete oneness with God.” The answers are not the focus; the relationship is. As Jesus says, on that day I can ask in His name, the day that I recognized and realized my oneness with Jesus. This becomes the explanation for why I pray.

Sometimes I am in that place. More often, I’m in the place of ‘needy’ or bringing others who are needy to God’s throne, interceding for them. Perhaps that is oneness with Jesus, but I’m not sensing it as much as I am sensing the needs.

Earlier this year, Chambers’ devotionals impressed on me that my prayer focus should not be on the needs here on earth, but on the power of God in heaven. That is, instead of saying, “Bill needs to be saved” I should say, “God, You know far more about Bill’s heart and needs than I do. Have Your way in his life.”

As I pray that way, my focus is then on God, on my relationship with Him, and on a recognition of His power rather than bringing a ‘gimme list’ where I tell God what to do. Such nerve!

If closeness to God depended on answers, I would withdraw from praying. Those answers are seldom what I expect and that gimme side of my requests means disappointment. However, if my attitude is ‘Thy will be done’ then I can accept ‘No’ or ‘Wait’ as easily as ‘It is done’ — which is praying more like Jesus prays.

The most awesome relationship

The story of Esther does not mention God but it does tell of a relationship in which Queen Esther was highly regarded by her King Ahasuerus so that whatever she asked, he would give her. Cultivating that relationship through respect, obedience, and regard for his authority, Esther saved her people from annihilation.

Today’s devotional refers to my relationship with my King, a relationship of unity which He made possible and I am to enjoy by respect, obedience, and regard for His authority. It is a relationship that is important concerning prayer . . .

“In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26–27)

In this context Jesus tells how this relationship leads to answered prayer, but first things first. “In that day” refers to being in an undisturbed relationship with God. No unconfessed sin, no mistrust, no wandering off to do my own thing. It is in that day that I can “ask in His name.”

As Chambers says, this is no magical incantation, even though some people pray as if it is. When the Bible talks about the name of the Lord, it is referring to His character, His very nature. When I pray in His name, I am asking as He would ask, asking in the intimacy of knowing His will and knowing how He thinks about whatever is on my heart. I come to God as Jesus would come to His Father.

Jesus is not taking my prayers and asking for me. I have access to the Father through Him and do not need an interpreter.  Jesus is the reason that I can come to God. He redeemed me, gave me open access to God by forgiving my sin and replacing it with His righteousness. I come to the Father through the Son, yet I come; the way is open, another marvel of the gospel.

“The Father himself loves you” — which is just as staggering. Because I am made one with Christ and have been given His Spirit, I am lifted to heavenly places in Christ Jesus and allowed to see some of the workings of the mind of God. This is a complete union, a relationship where I can freely ask of God “whatsoever” and because I come in the name of Jesus, and He hears me.

Moreover, He will give to me whatever I ask. (Major DRUMROLL) Obviously this is not about selfish requests like winning the lottery or having perfect health or anything else for the benefit of me (although God cares about me). It is about a relationship of unity so that my requests match the perfect will of God. It is like Esther taking the time and effort to discover the mind of her king so that when she asked, he extended the golden scepter rather than ordering her death.

God wants me to know His mind. Should I ask apart from it, He will not strike me with lightning, but He will deal a death blow to my selfishness or any fleshy attitudes that ask for those things outside of His will. If I am selfish, unlike Esther’s king, He lovingly arranges to purge out that selfishness, conforming my heart to the heart of His Son and giving me the joy of knowing His large and everlasting love.

“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23–24)

How awesome is that!

Praying in Jesus’ Name

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13–14)

Even as a new creation in Christ and as a saved person who knows and follows Him, I am increasingly aware that I must pray in His name and not my own. Praying in the name of Jesus means coming to God as a representative. I am part of the Body of Christ, His sister by adoption, yet the prayers that God listens to must be presented on His behalf, not my own.

This has good reason. Even with a new nature, I am stuck with the old, at least until full redemption in eternity. That old nature is sinful and corrupt, so when I pray, it has a determination to have its say, to get its way. My prayers might start out selfless but so easily turn to reasons why the answers would benefit me rather than bringing glory to God. (Even when I pray in Jesus’ name and God gives me what I ask, my sin nature can turn that answer into a pat on my back instead of praise for what He has done.)

Other reasons come to mind, but praying in the name of Jesus is commanded and is important. Otherwise, God will not hear me. How could He answer prayer in any way that departs from who He is and what He wants? Impossible.

Before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples that He would return, but the intervening time would not be easy so He told them to pray and God would answer and give them joy in their trials . . .

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:22–24)

His joy overcomes sorrow and is mine when I pray in Jesus’ name. This involves at least three things. One is knowing that His name is about who He is and what He has done. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Jesus is no ordinary man. He is God in human flesh who came to die for our sin. If anyone rejects either His deity or His reason for coming, then that person cannot pray in His name.

Two is realizing that He has the power to answer, particularly when we agree together on what it is we want done. The following verses are about church discipline. When another Christian sins, we are to love that person enough to take action, action that includes prayer. Jesus promises, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:18–20)

Not only is Jesus present with us in the Spirit and helping us take care of each other, He is also highly exalted. This means that when I pray in His name, I will have an attitude of humility and submission. Yes, the Bible says that I can come “boldly to the throne of grace” but that boldness is not about me, but about the One in whose name I come, leaving my list of “I wants” and remembering who He is . . .

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth . . .  (Philippians 2:9–10)

Sometimes I imagine approaching my Father with Jesus holding my hand, giving me His thoughts and words, and saying, “Listen to her, Father, for she is my child too.”

Praying this way keeps selfish thoughts where they belong and my attitude as it should be. It also focuses my heart on listening and praying according to the will of God, and deeply appreciating the privilege and assurance of praying in Jesus’ name. 

Praying in Jesus’ name

My husband was asked by a Jewish friend to pray for the nations at his daughter’s bat-mitzvah. He agreed and soon received a phone call from the rabbi with the outline of the ceremonies and some special instructions. He said, “And please do not add anything, any words, to the end of your prayer.” My husband told the rabbi that he understood and assured him he would not embarrass the synagogue.

Since then, I’ve noticed how often Christians add “in Jesus’ name” to the end of prayers, sometimes without seeming to notice they are doing it. I’ve done it too. Because we are told to pray in the name of Jesus, we do it. But do we know what it means? Today’s devotional verse offers a major clue…

Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. (Luke 7:7)

This centurion was not praying, but he had the right attitude about approaching Jesus. Other versions of the Bible translate this as, “I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you” which is also correct and shows how this man knew he was a sinner and had no merit or worth in himself to approach the Lord Jesus Christ.

The devotional says, “You are much more sinful than you think you are, much more unworthy than you know yourself to be.”

My pride does not want to think about this, but it is true. Apart from Christ, I am a hopeless case. My sin is deep and permeates far too much of what I try to do. Without Jesus, I have no power to escape sin’s power and I am not worthy to approach Him, in prayer or even in worship.

Yet the centurion’s attitude is the very attitude that gives me access. Because I am a sinner is actually the very reason I can claim His grace and come into His presence. He came to seek and save the lost. He came to die for the ungodly, for sinners such as me.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6–8)

The centurion wanted healing for his servant, but knew he had no right to ask for it. A sinner wants healing for his soul, his sinful blight, but only by knowing and admitting our lack of worth do we have claim to His grace and healing power. Jesus Christ is able and willing to save those who come to God through him, but we must come just as we are.

By doing that, I discover some amazing things. My emptiness does not affect his fullness, but releases it. My weakness does not alter his power, but makes it available. My inability does not diminish his omnipotence, but gives it freedom to work. My undeserving does not restrain his love, but opens the door for it to rush in and change my life.

This applies to that day when I was saved, but also every day when I pray. I have no merit, no special place where I can stand before God and suppose that He should hear my cries. Yet He bids me come, not representing myself and my needs, but representing Him and His large heart, His deep concerns, His love for me and for sinners like me. I can pray in His name because He tells me to do it, but I cannot assume that I have a right to pray in any other way.

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24)

While my large and often painful burdens press me to Jesus, my unworthiness is not a barrier to His hearing and acting on my behalf. Instead, it is the very reason that He allows me the privilege of asking. This is one small part of what it means to pray in His glorious name.

Fully Employed

One day I went for my usual prayer walk. My to-do list for the day was long and looming over my head. I felt a bit resentful that prayer was going to take some valuable time and expressed this to God along with my need to get my work done. He clearly said to me, “Prayer is your work.”

Since that rebuke, I’ve not grumbled about the time it takes to pray. However, I’d never connected prayer to John 14:12, a verse that has always puzzled me, until this morning while reading it in its context.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12–14)

Oswald Chambers says that “prayer does not fit us for greater work; prayer is the greater work.” I once thought that prayer would prepare me for the day, give me strength and wisdom to do the Lord’s work, and keep me focused on Him. However, after God rebuked me, I’ve learned to agree with Chambers. Prayer is the greater ministry. It is the most important work, perhaps the only work that He asks of me that is truly effective.

As Chambers says, prayer is God working the miracle of Redemption in me that produces the miracle of Redemption in others by His power. This isn’t about me agonizing and wrestling in prayer though. It is based on “the agony of Redemption” and on what Jesus has done. It has taken me a long time to realize that wise words and “proper” praying are not what God answers. He wants prayer from the redeemed which means my fleshy ideas of prayer are not important. Instead, He hears and responds to childlike helplessness and the realization that this is not about me.

Prayer is also the battle of Christian living. I fight sin and indifference. I wrestle with false teaching and the devil’s lies, but none of these are nearly as challenging as taking the needs of the world to the throne of grace in the name of Jesus. Prayer, as Jesus defines it, is hard work.

I can easily pray in my own name and with my list of I-wants. I can easily tell God what I think He should be doing (such impertinence), but praying in the name of Christ because He asks me to do it requires the Spirit of God and the power of God. I cannot do this on my own and I don’t even want to.

Of course, the flesh likes the answers even if it recoils at the work. I love it when God answers prayer in ways that I can see. This thrill tends to become a motivation, but what about praying without ever seeing the answers? This adds to the difficulty of the work. A small comparison is the tedium of a factory assembly line where the workers do their small part and never see the finished product. The only way to avoid this is remembering that I am talking to the Creator of the Universe and that He promised to listen and respond. I cannot see into His realm unless He opens that to me. Instead, He asks that I walk by faith, not sight, and that I work hard in prayer.

Answered prayer can also be a glory for me. I love to stand and tell others that God answered my prayers, as if the “my” side had something to do with the answer. But Jesus said that the glory is not for me, but for the Father to be glorified in the Son. This makes prayer a totally unselfish task, one that is difficult to sustain without wanting something in it for me.

Clearly, prayer is my work. Is there a reward involved? When a servant does his duty, can he expect anything, even a “well done” when finished? Do I fall into thinking that answers are my reward rather than simply the privilege of being in the throne room with the King of kings?

Chambers surprises me with the last lines of his reading for today. He says, “You labor at prayer and results happen all the time from God’s standpoint. What an astonishment it will be to find, when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you had been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.”

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Jesus, I am ashamed that I often feel neglected when the answers to my prayers do not come as quickly as I’d hoped or in the same manner as I expected. I know that talking to You is an incredible privilege. It is also my God-given task. You are the Lord, so I do not choose my work hours or the places where I am to be working. Nor can I dictate the rewards or the results of my labor.

Not only that, You are in charge and You have given Your commands. I am to ask in Your name, seek Your glory, and trust that praying is a great work because You say it is — whether or not I can see what comes of it. Forgive me for the slack times, the times that I either am late or do not show up at all. I know that in spite of my failures, You will never kick me off the job. Instead, You keep calling me to work, to pray without ceasing. 

(Photo credit)

Simple or specific?

My mother wrote prayers in her journals. As she aged and her memory became confused, those prayers became simple requests that God would bless certain people and help them with what they are doing. Her heart shows in the prayers she wrote and I am blessed when I read them.

The Apostle Paul wrote prayers too, and prayer requests. His prayers are also a blessing and offer instructions in how to pray. For instance, these verses show how our requests can be specific.

Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.  (Romans 15:30-32)

First he asked the Christians at Rome to pray for him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is our access to God, our mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” This excludes priests and those that have been exalted to a superior status of saints (the Bible says all believers are saints).

The Bible makes clear that Jesus is “also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). That is why Christians pray in the name of Jesus and through Him. He gives us access to God.

Paul also asked the Christians at Rome to pray through the love of the Spirit. Natural affection might produce fervent prayer for a little while, but the love of the Holy Spirit will keep me praying long after my own emotions wear thin. Not only that, the Holy Spirit takes our prayers to God when we don’t even say them with our mouths.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  (Romans 8:26-27)

This are foundational concepts concerning Christian praying. Paul wrote about them again and again. Jesus talked also of the need to pray in His name and to love one another as He loved us. The love of the Holy Spirit not only motivates, but He helps us when we pray.

Paul’s actual prayer requests are specific too. He wanted the Christians at Rome to pray that he be delivered from those who persecuted him in Judea. They wanted to kill him. Paul was ready to die, but he also wanted to finish the work God had given him.

He asked that his work be acceptable to the “saints” meaning all those who believed. This could be a two-pronged request; one that he did an excellent job of what he did, and two, that the hearers had receptive hearts. Both were important to him.

His last request in this passage is that God’s will would bring him to them with joy and that they could be a blessing to each other. Sometimes I forget that these early Christians did not have the New Testament to comfort and instruct them. Of course they did not have e-mail, the Internet, facebook, Skype or conventional telephones. Communication took a long time.

Also, when I want to hear a well-known preacher, I can find many of his sermons on the Internet, even on i-tunes, but hearing Paul speak in those days meant a great deal of travel for either Paul or his listeners. It would have meant much to the church at Rome to know that Paul wanted to be with them and asked them to pray toward that end.

Now as I write this, I think again about my mother’s simple “God bless my children, in Jesus’ name” and know that God heard her. The Holy Spirit took those prayers to the throne of God and put His own spin on them, rounding them out so they included details of what we needed. I know God heard because God also answered — and I have been blessed.