City Life Starter

By Scott Fiddler

The Word

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

 13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Exegesis

“In Jesus’ name we pray,” is how we have been taught to end our prayers, but if we do that believing the words are magical, a verbal talisman on the order of a rabbit’s foot or lucky charm, we are missing the point. Jesus’ statement, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (v. 14) is a statement about how we are to approach God in prayer.  Just two chapters later, John records that Jesus said, “If you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” John 16:23. I believe Jesus’ statements about praying in His name means primarily three things.

First, it means approaching God not on our own merit believing we are worthy to be heard but because of Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. By approaching God in Jesus’ name we are acknowledging we have done nothing of ourselves to deserve to be heard and that only by Jesus’ work on the cross do we have access to God. This is important because it means we are approaching God in Truth. 

I really dislike getting calls from solicitors because they often try to mislead my legal assistant by pretending they know me or that I have been expecting their call. It never works. I’d be much more likely to take their call if they said, “Look, I am solicitor, and I know you get a lot of calls from solicitors and you are really busy, but I really think I have something you will be interested in.” Praying in Jesus’ name means approaching God honestly.

Second, praying in Jesus’ name means approaching God as one to whom Jesus has delegated authority to be used for His purposes. When Jesus sent out the seventy and then they returned, they said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Luke 10:1-17. Jesus told His twelve disciples He had been given all authority and that they should go forth and baptize in His name. Matthew 28: 18-19. Operating in the delegated authority of Jesus means acting as HIs representative and carrying out His will in prayer. Which leads to the third thing that praying in Jesus’ name mean.

Third, praying in Jesus’ name means praying according to Jesus’ will. We can have confidence that when we ask for something in accordance with God’s will that it will be done. I John 5:14. This means effective prayer starts with seeking God’s will. It means listening before we ask. It also means that prayer becomes a means by which we are sanctified because it leads us into adopting Jesus’ desires and purposes. In this sense, prayer doesn’t change God; it changes us. It conforms us to His image. 

Application

There are times when we pray according to our own desires, and I am not suggesting those prayers are not heard. And while praying that type of prayer “in Jesus’ name” may still mean accessing God through the blood of Jesus, ultimately, we must say as Jesus did, “not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42.