Jesus says, “Whatever you ask.” So what have you asked of God? Jesus says, “Whatever you ask the Father … He will give you.” So what have you asked the Father? Was it a want or a need? And did you get it?
But have your prayers become sparse and spindly, because you haven’t received what you have asked? Have you prayed believing, yet still disbelieving because of your experiences? Have you wanted God to hear and answer your prayers, but doubted that He even bothers to listen?
You are not alone. Job, in the Old Testament, said, “[O God,] I cry out to you for help, but you won’t answer me. When I stand up, you merely look at me. You have become cruel, and with your mighty hand, you persecute me” (Job 30:20-21).
When we hear Jesus tell us, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you,” we often only hear, “Whatever you ask the Father …he will give you.” Did you catch what was missing? It’s the phrase, “In my name.” Or sometimes we think that by simply ending a prayer, by saying, “In Jesus’ name,” God the Father cannot deny whatever we ask of Him.
With a theology like that, prayer has mutated into selfish words we say to get what we want from God. In some churches, the use of “prayer warriors” and prayer chains have only fostered this false teaching, all so we can get God to do what we want Him to do.
Trust me, I’m not against praying. And I’m not against prayer chains. Prayer chains are a way we can help bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Prayer chains are a way we can live out our faith. But if a prayer chain exists to barrage God with enough requests to wear Him down, to convince Him to do whatever you ask, then I am against such prayer chains.
For such a way of praying is not based on faith, but on works. Our requests don’t wear God down. God is not that weak. And God won’t hear a prayer just because more people are praying to Him. God is not that deaf.
Don’t wade in the shallow waters of such a prayer life. For that’s not praying in Jesus’ name. And–based on what Jesus said–true prayers the Father answers must be in His name. Do you not yet realize that God’s disposition toward you is based on His Son, Jesus? It’s not based on anything you do. So why should this reality change between you and God when it comes to prayer?
You see, no matter how many prayers warriors storm the throne of God, it won’t change the Father’s disposition toward you. For how the Father sees you and responds to you is based on Christ, not you. This is what Jesus promised His disciples–and through them–all Christians: “Whatever you ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give you.”
So, if your prayer life has one disappointment after another, it’s not because you have prayed. It’s not because you may have prayed improperly. And it’s not because you may have only prayed with just a smidgen of faith. It’s that you don’t know what praying in Jesus’ name means.
When Jesus invites you to pray to the Father “in His name,” He is inviting you to pray based on who He is and what He does. It’s praying based on His cross, atonement, and redeeming work. The words “in the name of Jesus” aren’t magic. Those words mean that we have access to God the Father through His Son. Those words mean that God hears your prayers because of what His Son, Jesus, has done–and continues to do–for you. Praying in Jesus’ name means that when you are praying, it’s as if Jesus Himself is doing the praying. That’s what praying “in Jesus’ name” means.
The sounds, letters, and syllables of Jesus’ name mean nothing in themselves. What carries their true meaning is what they represent–Jesus’ life-giving work. That means everything. If simply saying the proper sounds meant everything, then all would already be lost. For in the language of the original, New Testament Greek, “Jesus” is [Greek pronunciation]. And I have no idea what the original Aramaic sounded like.
Still, Jesus does tell us, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.” So we can ask for anything and get it, right? Not if it’s praying based on something or someone other than who Jesus is and what He does. That’s the linchpin. If you are praying for what you want, but not what Jesus wants for you, then you are praying in your name, not in His name.
Praying in Jesus’ name is not praying from your sinful nature, but from the new self given you in Christ. It’s praying for whatever God wants to give you. That’s what Jesus wants you to pray for; that’s praying in Jesus’ name.
Praying in Jesus’ name doesn’t mean that you simply utter the noise, that you simply make the vocal sounds that say “Jesus.” If that were true, then why did God the Father answer the prayers of His Old Testament saints? They didn’t even know Jesus’ name would be “Jesus.” By faith, they believed in the Messiah to come. Yet, Jesus didn’t have the name “Jesus” until He had human flesh from the Blessed Virgin.
Think about this. If you ask for something that gets in the way of your salvation, even out of ignorance, is that praying in Jesus’ name? No, it’s not. If you ask for something sinful, even out of ignorance, is that praying in Jesus’ name? No, it’s not. Praying in Jesus name is not simply making the right sounds. It’s relying on Jesus’ righteousness, which brings you life, forgiveness, salvation, and joy. And it’s the same when you pray.
And so you pray, not only because Jesus tells you to pray. You pray because it’s who you are in Christ Jesus. You pray because prayer is the Lord’s Word actively working in your life and being. Prayer is faith expressing itself in living flesh. Prayer isn’t just doing what you should do, but it’s being who you are in Christ.
For you can only pray because of whom Christ has made you to be: a redeemed, forgiven, and holy saint of God. And because of that, you “ask” as Jesus bids you to do. For you have access to the Father, through the Son, because the Holy Spirit has given you the Lord’s Word. And with that Lord’s Word, you are in communion with God: a union and an intimacy that not only enables, but also gives you the confidence to speak, say, and ask.
And when you pray like that, don’t stop. Keep asking and praying until you are dead–that is, dead to sin and alive in Christ! Keep praying like that until God calls you home to eternity. For prayer is faith in action. Prayer is what faith does.
Pray then for what you will, dear Christian, to the Father through His Son in the Holy Spirit. You needn’t worry about what to say or how to say it, or even about messing up when you pray (Matthew 10:19). If you worry about messing up when you pray, you will never pray. Know this: even your messed-up prayers are forgiven in Christ.
So pray, because your heavenly Father knows what you need even before you ask Him. But ask anyway, for that is what faith does. And because your Mediator, Jesus Christ, has made the Father merciful toward you, He’s going to give you everything according to His will, whether you ask for it properly or not. In truth, God will give you what He wills even when you don’t ask for it. That’s the gracious God you have.
God’s mercy and grace do not depend on your prayers. And that is good. For if His disposition toward you depended on anything you did, even prayer, you would have no hope. Prayer is a fruit of faith, and our fruits, our works, do not save us. Yet, because prayer is a fruit of faith, faith causes us to pray.
And so with God the Holy Spirit moving you, and Jesus interceding before the Father, you pray. And your prayer will always be the right prayer. It will be the right prayer, even if, for some reason, you have prayed the wrong words or have mistakenly prayed for something sinful. For Jesus will change that prayer into what it should be. That’s what it means when Scripture says that Jesus is at “the right hand of God, who is also interceding for” you (Romans 8:34).
And with the Holy Spirit prompting you, and Jesus interceding for you, how can the Father not hear your prayers? He will hear, and He will answer, whether you are a prayer warrior or not. For the only warrior you need, is the One who battled for you on the cross–and won! Amen.
