Praying in the Name of Jesus

Praying in the Name of Jesus

The most common phrase we hear at the end of a prayer is, "In the name of Jesus. Amen." While God's word teaches us to offer our petitions to the Father in the name of the Son, it is obvious that many people fail to realize what it really means. Do we understand what we are saying when we close our prayers with this phrase? The Bible gives further insight into this much misunderstood concept. What does it mean to pray "in the name of Jesus"?

It means our prayer is powered by the authority of Jesus. Christians have the awesome privilege of approaching the throne of God in prayer (Hebrews 4:16). But without the authority of our Lord we would be unable to do so. Upon healing the lame man, Peter and John were asked, "By what authority, or by what name have you done this?" They responded, "By the name of Jesus Christ…this man stands before you whole? (Acts 4:7-10). The apostles were saying that the healing of the lame man was powered by the authority of Jesus. Though the apostles physically imparted the miracle, it was Jesus' power that actually effected the result. So when we make known that our prayer is "in Jesus' name," we admit that it is only by His power and authority that our petitions can reach God's throne.

Also, it means that we are praying according to the will of Jesus. The apostle John stated, "if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). Not only what we pray for, but also how we pray is of utmost importance to God. To pray "according to the will of Jesus" means, first of all, we must be "in" Jesus. How can we pray according to His will when we're not even living according to His will? Only Christians have the privilege of prayer through Jesus.

Secondly, the very things we ask for must be in line with the desires of Jesus Himself. I once heard a woman leading an assembly in prayer (some of which were men) asking God to increase the population of her particular denomination. She quaintly ended the prayer with, "in the name of Jesus. Amen." According to the apostle John, God will not hear that prayer. Why not? It was not asked according to the will of Jesus. Among other things women are not to lead men in prayer to God (1 Timothy 2:8-12), and denominationalism, by definition, is against the will of God (John 17: 20-23; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13). The prayer was wrong in both how it was asked and in the request made. In short, her prayer was not "in the name of Jesus."

Finally, to pray "in the name of Jesus" means to pray through the Mediatorship of Jesus. It means to recognize that he is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). The Buddhist may seek to approach deity through Buddha, the Monist through nature, but the Christian knows that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6). He is the only "merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God" (Hebrews 2:17). Yes, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1), and thankfully God has given us the power and privilege of prayer through Him.

As we commonly end our prayers with "In Jesus' name," let us not merely mouth these words as though they were some kind of spiritual formula. We should rather have a working understanding of the vital truths they signify while giving thanks to the Father for the privilege of prayer.

Clint Brown

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