Ever wonder why virtually every prayer or collect in our liturgy ends with something like:- “ . . through Jesus Christ our Lord”? Ever notice that most spontaneous prayers we hear will end similarly with a conclusion like “We ask these things in the Name of Jesus”? Why do we do that? Is it important?
I’m sure you know that it’s not just a closing salutation like “Yours truly” or “Best Regards” at the end of a letter, cuing us in that it’s almost time to respond with “Amen”. Nor is it a magic word like “abracadabra” that we tack on the end to ensure positive results to our prayer.
No, what we are doing when we invoke the name of Jesus in our prayers is two-fold. Initially, we are responding to His command that we may “ask anything in My Name, and I will do it” (John 14:14), and secondly, we are identifying with His Ascension where Jesus proclaimed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28: 18).
Let’s unpack these two reason for praying in the Name of Jesus. The closing chapters of John’s Gospel are filled with intimate dialogue between Jesus and the Twelve. He is culminating over three years of fellowship, teaching and leading by example, and is preparing them for His imminent departure. In the passage in John 14, Jesus has been commanding them to love one another as He has loved us; He has been making great claims that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one comes to the Father except by Him. When He makes the promise of answering prayer that is offered in His Name, He is just about to declare to them His wonderful promise of sending the Holy Spirit.
These indeed are intimate moments, not to be taken out of context, but are shared with us so that we, too, can experience answered prayer when we are fully committed to doing His will and seeing His kingdom come “on earth as it is in heaven”. This is not about trying to get God to do what we want, but rather, praying in accordance with His purpose in each and every situation. Incredibly, we are permitted to use His Name to release the power of heaven in the same way as the proper signature on a cheque releases the funds held in an account.
Secondly, we are identifying with the Ascended Jesus, no longer merely a non-descript carpenter from Nazareth, but the King of Kings, the Lion of Judah, the Risen and Ascended Son of God! Jesus both claimed that “all authority” had been given to Him, but He also delegated that authority to His followers. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). When we pray “in the Name of Jesus”, we are invoking all the authority that has been given to Him by His Father. It is not something, therefore, that we should take lightly, but this understanding should add strength and backbone to the prayers of the saints as we recognize that He has given to us delegated authority over the oppression of the enemy.
May we be found worthy of the trust He has placed in His Church of such a great privilege and responsibility.
