Praying in Jesus’ Names

• Posted on sdgale
• in 'CHOP Talk' Blog
• on October 9, 2012
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“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13–14, ESV)

Five times in His Upper Room discourse Jesus speaks of praying in His name.  It seems that the sky is the limit when He uses words like “whatever” and “anything” as He does in the text above.

But what does it mean to pray in Jesus name?  It does not mean that Jesus is our genie, where we invoke the words “in Jesus’ name” like we would “abracadabra” or some sort of magical incantation. “In Jesus’ name” is not a phrase to be uttered mechanically launching our prayer as a send button would an email into cyberspace.

Jesus’ name qualifies the “whatever” and “anything” we would ask.  Praying in Jesus’ name has as its bottom line “that the Father may be glorified in the Son,” as Jesus says above.

Jesus’ name has to do with the authenticity, the character and the goal of our prayers.  Jesus name is the governor to our prayer. It is not a prelude to an “amen” but it is the “amen” to what our prayer seeks—the glory of God, submission to His will, service to His goals.

It is to assert that everything about our prayer has to do with Jesus. It is to pray through Christ, for Christ and in Christ.  Jesus is our Messiah, our Mediator, our mandate to prayer, and our model for prayer.

If our prayer has everything to do with Jesus, then to think of His name is to look to who He is.  The Scriptures expand and enrich our view of Jesus through the manifold names ascribed to Him.

I just saw a book advertised that listed and explained 50 names of Jesus.  I have yet to read the book but a number of names jump to mind (in no particular order).

Jesus

Immanuel

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

Lion of Judah

Savior

Lord

The Living One who died and is alive forevermore

The One who holds the keys to death and Hades

Son of God

Son of Man

Son of David

Man of Sorrows

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Our Propitiation

Substitute

Seed of the Woman

Alpha and Omega

Passover Lamb

King of Kings

Each of these names affords a different vantage point by which we understand the person of Jesus. Each enriches and directs our prayer as we pray “in Jesus’ name.”