Prayer is a powerful tool in the hands of God’s people. Why? Because there is infinite power in the name of Jesus Christ. Not only have we been invited to come boldly to the throne of grace, we have been assured that anything we ask for in the name of Jesus will be done.
But I must make something clear before we go on: To ask in Jesus’ name is to ask for Jesus’ sake.
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14)
Our prayers are to be directed at the expansion of Christ’s kingdom, not our own. Make no mistake, when God opened the way for us to come into His presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, He was not giving us a blank check to cash for the advancement of our personal affluence and a life of ease. To ask in Jesus’ name is to ask for the things that matter most to Him. Our Lord’s High Priestly Prayer in John 17 gives us valuable insight into what matters most to Jesus: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).
As a sent people, we are to live lives of other-orientation. Jesus has commissioned us to live in a way that brings glory to God and good to others . . . all others. We are to meet people in their place of need, acting as the hands and feet of Christ. To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray for the advancement of the Gospel; when we are praying like this, we can be assured our prayers will be answered with a resounding “Yes!”
To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray to fulfill His plans and His purposes in this life. To pray in Jesus’ name is to lay aside our personal goals, agendas, dreams, and desires. It is to abandon the self as we advance in the direction of the Savior. When Jesus prayed to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, “Yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42), He was providing us with the model of a prayer life that is rooted in Jesus’ name.
Finally, praying in Jesus’ name protects you from the warning James delivered to the people of God: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are reminded to rely on His wisdom, His power, His strength, and His guidance.
Be encouraged today, and take some time to pray in Jesus’ name, being confident that whatever you ask for in His name, He has promised to do for you.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 