John 16:23-24, 26 – “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete…26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.”
Even still, I wonder if any one of us comprehends the power
of Jesus’ name. We are rightfully taught
to pray in Jesus’ name, as He himself taught us that. And we are obedient to do it, ending every
prayer and interjecting into the middle of our prayers His name. But too often, that is the extent of it: we
are merely following a formula, a tradition, and we say His name with no more
reverence or power than any other words we utter in a given day. But if we understood the power and meaning of
praying in Jesus’ name, if we comprehended it even minutely more than we did
yesterday, our lives and spiritual journeys could be radically and gloriously transformed.
I would like to first build upon our most common
understanding and intent when praying in Jesus’ name. As mentioned above, too often we pray out of
rote and tradition, thoughtlessly. If
you are feeling convicted just now, it is the Holy Spirit’s work in you—rejoice
that you have felt the presence of God!
And take heart, for I stand equally convicted. Perhaps the next step in the walk of grace as
we pray in Jesus’ name is taking the view of the natural interpretation of John
16:23-26. I say “walk of grace” because
it is by God’s grace that we comprehend His deepest truths, being welcomed into
abundant life, both eternal and immediate.
Comprehending Jesus’ name is one of these great truths and experiences
of grace in our lives.
Two things immediately jump out at me as I read John
16:23-26. 1. Anything I ask in Jesus’
name will be granted to me, and 2. I am not asking Jesus to ask for me, but
instead, I have direct communication with the Father and it is the asking in
Jesus’ name that grants me my request.
From here, we often err (and by “we,” I mean “I”). The human mind immediately begins to surmise
that the key to obtaining that which I desire in this very moment, whether
noble or shallow, is praying in Jesus’ name.
Jesus’ name then becomes a magic currency or voucher of divine credit by
which I can obtain the desires of my heart, flesh, and soul. Before we immediately reject this train of
thought (It is much harder to admit to it when it is called out so plainly, but
search yourself and see if you have not considered Jesus’ name in such a way
after boiling down your motives and desires until only the bare truth
remains.), I would like to explore this analogy of Jesus’ name being a “voucher
of divine credit.”
Consider the following situation: Your father is wealthy and
you live in his house as his child. You
work together and he takes good care of you.
One day you ask for money to purchase something you desire. Your father gives you a check for the exact
amount and you take it to the store.
When the time comes to make the transaction and purchase the item, the
clerk will look for at least three things: form of payment (in this case, a
check), an authorizing signature, and a valid proof of identification. If you are missing any of these, the payment
is rejected. Any combination of two will
not suffice…you must have all three. And
I believe that prayer can be viewed in this way, if done very methodically and
carefully. God has essentially given us
the “checkbook” of prayer, in that He has granted us access to Him and His
infinite power. Furthermore, He has
granted those who have been regenerated in Christ the identity of Christ
through the Holy Spirit, for we are His body and indwelled by Him. And lastly, we have His authority and “signature”
in Jesus’ name. Prayer without the Holy
Spirit or Jesus Christ is an unauthorized check. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit without God
the Father is like an ID card and signature on a piece of paper that means
nothing (before you call me a heretic, I do not believe we can be indwelled by
the Holy Spirit, walking in relationship with Christ, and NOT pray (i.e.
commune with God); therefore, this portion of the analogy is strictly for the
sake of conveying the point). The
overarching point is that we must be identified and in communion with all three:
Father, Son, and Spirit, or our prayers will be hindered. This is no surprise, for you cannot know God
without knowing all three, for all three are indeed divinely One.
Furthermore, to pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in
faith. To utter Jesus’ name without
faith in Him is like presenting counterfeit currency. The untrained eye may be fooled, but the
producer of the currency will spot its falsehood with ease. We cannot fool God…He knows our sincere and
counterfeit words of faith. However, the
above example is almost petty and certainly inadequate, for the depth of understanding
comes from comprehending what it means to be identified in Christ and to ask in
Jesus’ name. If His name is simply an
authorizing signature and we do not understand it to any greater degree, then
we have gained very little understanding thus far. (Such analogies to currency and transaction
can be very misleading and I use them simply because our minds have been
trained to understand things in this context.
The analogy is true in meaning, but severely inadequate at reaching the
truth of the power of Jesus’ name, which is far removed from transaction
conceived by our earthly desires.)
Since we have been building our comprehension of praying in
Jesus’ name, starting with simple obedience and tradition, however thoughtless,
then stepping forward in grace to authorization through Jesus name, we can
build further by examining the nature of His name and not just what it does for
us. The first of these is covering and
intercession.
Heb 9:12-15 – “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
In this scripture we understand a review of Old Testament
sacrifices: a covenant extended by God to Israel, which by the shedding of
animals’ blood in sacrifice and obedience to God, a portion of atonement was
granted to the faithful. This temporal
atonement, as explained throughout Hebrews to a direct audience with very keen
knowledge of such commandments and the covenant, was replaced in a new covenant
by Jesus, the only perfect sacrifice. Knowing
that “by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)” we can receive Jesus' teaching,
“this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It
is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matt 26:28), in view of Heb 9
above, and we can therefore have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of
Jesus” (Heb 10:19). And so we see that
through the blood of Christ we are made able to stand unblemished before the
throne of God, a place where only perfect righteousness can remain alive…perfect
righteousness only available to a human through Christ. This is part of the reason why Jesus says in
John 16:26, “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will
ask the Father on your behalf.”
It is not that Jesus’ death and resurrection allows us to communicate
with the Father by messages delivered by Jesus (or any other man or being for
that matter), but that we ourselves not only speak to the Father Himself, but
enter the “Holiest.” The “Holiest” or “Holy
of Holies” was the presence of God in the tabernacle and is what is being
conveyed here: the very presence of God Himself.
The high priest, thought to be the most righteous of men, would
have a rope tied around him when entering this place of perfect righteousness
and the presence of God. Had the proper blood
sacrifices not been prepared according to the covenant and the high priest therefore
still harbored sin within him, unremoved by the blood of the sacrifice before
God, he would die immediately in the Holy of Holies. Should anyone enter to retrieve his body, he
also would die, as sin in the presence of God spells immediate death. Therefore, the rope would be utilized in the
event of such an occurrence to remove the high priest from the presence of God
in the tabernacle. This is the
seriousness of God’s presence and the amazing privilege and power of Jesus’
name granted to us! We can enter the
Holy of Holies, God’s very throne room without a rope, without speaking through
any priest, and without fear of dying…if we are covered by the blood of Christ
in Jesus’ name. And as Hebrews points
out, this is a sacrifice that is everlasting, such that additional blood need
not be shed for our atonement, as we are perpetually covered in Jesus’ name. Knowing this, would you ever dare to approach
God in prayer outside of Jesus’ name? By
His grace, the regenerated in Christ will never encounter that fearsome
reality. Instead, we come “boldy before
the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16) in Jesus’ name.
At this point, we have come to a powerful comprehension of
the meaning of praying in Jesus’ name.
Even still, there is more. Who
can search out the depth, height, and breadth of Jesus Christ?! He is wonderful to comprehend in the
slightest, and in that joy I seek to share with you through this post. The final dimension amongst infinite
dimensions that I seek to explore tonight is the powerful truth that coming to God
in Jesus’ name means coming to Him in perfect submission.
Praying in the name of Jesus Christ can be very tangibly
beheld in the Garden of Gethsemane:
Matt 26:39 – “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.””
Do we comprehend that praying in Jesus’ name, as the words
leave our lips, is declaring to God that His will be done and not ours? We do not comprehend it, nor do we experience
its rich joy and blessing, because we do not mean it as we say it. It is a rich joy and blessing because it is
the life of Jesus Christ Himself inside of me, the life of perfect fulfillment
of God’s glorious will, the life of nearness in the presence of God that cannot
be revoked or destroyed by any thing, man, or supernatural being. It is also protection, for quite often we ask
the Lord for things that are not born of His desire…and anything not squarely
born of His desire is riddled with evil and meant to harm us and those we
love. We are protected in Jesus’ name,
such that our wills are submitted to God’s.
And the knowledge and comprehension of this power avails to us the
experience of God’s presence more clearly and meaningfully as we pray and walk
with Christ. It is the source of deep
transformation. By Jesus’ name and the
perfect submission that is carried through Him in our prayers, we open
ourselves to the Holy Spirit in new ways that we could never know without receiving
His will to transform ours. Often we
pray mighty sounding prayers in the hope of conforming God’s will to ours,
certain of our prayers in Jesus’ name, not understanding that we have prayed
against the will of God. So be it, for
God takes our fragile faith and misguided motives, convicts us, and sanctifies
us. However, if we do not move past that
attitude in prayer, we miss out on the sweetness of being transformed by God
through prayer. Among the sweetest of
promises of coming before our Father in deep intimate prayer in Jesus’ name is
our being transformed by Him into His likeness.
There is perhaps no greater answer to prayer than being transformed into
His likeness, except for beholding the presence of God as we are transformed.
Finally, after all of this revelation, all of this study of
God’s Word, all of this teaching…I myself conclude by praying in Jesus’ name…and
I am immediately convicted how small is my comprehension of what my lips
utter. If I could fully comprehend what
I have just written above, I would fall to the ground in reverence of His name,
and even then only glimpse His glory.
And so I pray that you would come to know Jesus Himself just a little
bit more today, comprehending even slightly the power of Jesus’ name, praying
the same desire for myself. It is in
Jesus’ name that I come boldly before the throne of grace, into the very presence
of God Himself, and offer this prayer on behalf of you and me. Amen.
For the entire "Pray It Through" series of posts, click here.
For the entire "Pray It Through" series of posts, click here.
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