In Jesus’ Name

A Prayer from Jesus; He gets the Credit

    It isn’t uncommon today for someone to donate money to a cause on another’s behalf.  This could be done as a gift or to celebrate / mourn an event.  They may have said “I have made a donation to this organization in your name“.   Of course you would thank them, especially if you have strong feelings for the organization or its purpose.  The fact the money was given in your name means you get the credit for the donation rather than the giver.

   I was thinking the other night that this isn’t that different from a prayer said in Jesus’ name.  When we say “in Jesus’ name” at the end of a prayer, we’re saying that this prayer should be treated as if it came from Jesus directly.  Also He will get the credit for any good thing that comes from it. 

Authority

   There is a difference though.  Unlike donating to a charity, a prayer said in our own name will not be accepted.  It’s not because God doesn’t love us but because we aren’t righteous (sinless) and therefore have no ability or authority to ask on our own behalf.  Think about it this way, although this isn’t a perfect analogy, if you needed a favor from someone but you recently had a bad argument with them, it isn’t likely that they would go out on a limb to help you.  They may not even want to talk to you.  You would need someone else who they respect and possible love, to go on your behalf and ask them.

   When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are asking Jesus to be the conduit with God.  To advocate for us because He is the only one who can.  We are also following the direction He gave us in John 14:13-14.

His Will

Now, if we were to take the anology about donations above a little further, we can attempt to explain the last point on this topic.  If someone said that they would like to donate money or time to an organization in your name, and the organization had a purpose/mission that you strongly opposed, you would refuse.  Or you might recommend a different organization. 

In the same way, when we pray in Jesus’ name our prayers must align with God’s will.  If we ask for something that doesn’t glorfiy God, than we shouldn’t expect the prayer to be answered.  Actually if we are truely open to God’s will, many times we know this before we even complete the prayer.  One of the hardest aspects of prayer, is the letting go of our will.

Of course Jesus says in John 14:12 that we must also pray with faith.  We must believe.  If God is worth praying to, He’s worthy also of our expectations that our prayer will be answered.  Isn’t He?

May God bless your reading of this blog entry, in Jesus’ very precious name!