praying in the name of Jesus

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16:24

Praying “in Jesus’ name” is more than just some Christian formulaic way to get what we want. When I was a kid, I used to think that ending prayers with “in Jesus’ name, Amen” was some sort of formal way to tell God you were done praying. It was like a soldier on a walkie-talkie saying “over and out”. But there is much to what Jesus meant when He personally instructed His disciples to ask of the Father in His name (see John 14:13).

What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? It means to ask of God in a way consistent with the character and the will of Jesus. This gets lost a bit culturally on us, but in biblical times a person’s name represented who they were as a person. If they were a person of authority, it represented their power. Much like an ambassador acts in the name of the leadership of their country, so praying “in Jesus’ name” represents that we want our prayers to represent what Jesus wants in our world. So we really cannot pray selfishly in Jesus’ name.

And just as Jesus submitted to the will of the Father, so do our prayers in His name do the same. Praying “in Jesus’ name” is an act of submission. We acknowledge God will move, will care for us, will bring answers to our prayers as we submit to His sovereign work in our lives. We cannot be demanding when praying in Jesus’ name. We never pray to tell God what He must do from our viewpoint. We instead ASK Him to act as Jesus acts, but we surrender and submit to His wisdom, His mercy, His grace, His timing, and His ways. And He will probably change our expectations as He works. Praying in the name of Jesus humbles us, empowers us, helps us, heals us, and exalts our Lord and Savior.