What does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name?” Why do we do it, and does it make any difference to the effectiveness of our prayers? I am guessing that the whole concept of praying in Jesus’ name comes from the following:
Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14:11-14, NIV (emphasis added)
In this section of John’s gospel, Jesus is trying to get the idea of his leaving them across to the disciples. The discussion takes place just before his capture, trial, and crucifixion. If you read the entire chapter, you get the impression that the disciples aren’t really getting the fact that Jesus is going to die… they think he’s telling them that he’s going someplace.
The fact is, Jesus is going to die… but only temporarily. No wonder the disciples are confused! Throughout the final chapters in John’s gospel, from this point until his capture, Jesus will continue to try to prepare his followers for the coming shock of his death by torture and alleviate their fears by promising his return to them.
But there’s more. Because there will be a time, after his resurrection, when Jesus will physically leave again and return to his Father’s side. At this time, though, Jesus still promises to be present in their lives, via the Holy Spirit. Jesus is explaining something of the mechanics (if that’s an adequate term) of God’s three-fold nature.
Now, I’m not going to get into the specifics of the Trinity in this post, but I will in the future. The point that relates to the concept of praying in Jesus’ name is this: there are three distinct facets of the One true God, and these facets all relate to how we interface with him.
Jesus said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Confusion comes from the wording here: asking Jesus for something in his own name seems redundant (or schizophrenic). I believe Jesus is relating the fact that he is one facet of a three-faceted God; he is saying, “Use the name of Jesus, the Son, when praying to God, the Father.” But why should we? Won’t God listen to us whether we use Jesus’ name or not?
Well, yes, I believe so. But maybe there is a way to “move our requests to the top of the list,” (another inadequate analogy… sorry!). Check out this passage:
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)
This is the first of two times that God will actually manifest himself vocally and make this statement about Jesus. But what does it mean concerning praying in Jesus’ name?
Similar to the concept of being considered righteous before God even though we most definitely are not, our requests in prayer can be considered to have been made by God’s beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased.
There’s a lot about the Gospel that is mysterious. Nothing is more mysterious than the fact that our unclean and unrighteous status before God is cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son, as long as we choose to claim that sacrifice. The New Testament is full of promises and statements confirming the believer’s renewed status before God. I will write about many of these in future posts. In the meantime, be assured that you have the opportunity to enter the presence of the Creator of the universe as One who is beloved and pleasing to him.
Blessings!
Meditations 