Our prayer is effective when we are conformed to the mind, and the Will of God.

‘“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”’ (John 14:14)

I had a conversation with someone who told me they believed in God, but not in Jesus. ‘I don’t like Jesus,’ he said, ‘Because He didn’t tell the truth.’ On further questioning, I found he was referring to Jesus’ promise to do anything asked in His name. When we pray in the name of Jesus, what is implicit is that we are bringing our prayer before God with the mind of Christ. That’s what it means to be ‘in His name’. To simply pray, and add Jesus’ name on our own agenda, is to take the name of the Lord in vain, which violates the third commandment.

To pray in ‘the name of Jesus’ is not a magic formula to bring some action, but it is bringing our prayers under the authority of Jesus – that what we are asking for originates with God, and therefore we pray with confidence. It is for God, and can only be accomplished by God. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we are subjecting everything to His Will, and giving Him veto over all we desire. Then we pray with confidence. Answered prayer must not be defined as God giving us what we want, but God doing what He wants. With that we are satisfied and content.

Do we genuinely pray ‘in the name of Jesus,’ submitting our requests to His Will?

Bible in one year: Zechariah 1-3 | Revelation 17