#71: Praying in the Name of Jesus

The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

Over and over again in the Scripture, we read, “In the name,” “In Jesus’ name,” or “In His name.” The devil was powerless because of His name. Demons were cast out in His name. Hearings occurred in His name. Salvation comes in His name. We are instructed to baptize in His name. We are justified in His name. Everything we do and say is done in His name. But today I want to talk about praying in the name of Jesus.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)
If you are a praying person, you have probably prayed these words. Even if you are not a praying person, it’s likely you have heard someone say these words… “it is in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? Is there any significance to this? Is it just words? Do these words have meaning? Do they have power?
How important is the name of Jesus? Because of his death and resurrection, God has exalted Him to the very highest place. He has the greatest name in the universe. No one can be compared to Him. He is number one, and there is no number two. He is a category unto Himself. His name is the greatest name of all. There is no other name like the name of Jesus.
Praying in Jesus’s name is not….
- Merely the conclusion of our prayer time
- A magic formula
- A religious ritual or chant
Saying these words do not give you special powers. The power in the name is the person behind the name.
The point is that we can only have access to God through faith in Christ and His substitutionary death (Christ died in our place and took upon Himself our sin. He bore our penalty). We can come to God only through Christ. He and He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. He gives us access to God.
A couple things to know about praying in the name of Jesus.
1. We pray with authority. When we pray in Jesus’ name we pray with authority, based on who He is, not who you are.
2. It means we are submitting to his will
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
To pray in Jesus’ name is to submit your will to the will of Jesus, just as He offered His will to His Heavenly Father. Can we bring ourselves to say, “Lord Jesus, I want what you want”? The only thing that matters is your will.
Today’s Challenge: When you pray today, offer your prayer in the name of Jesus. You are trusting his power and authority to answer your request. Believe that His name is above every name.
Discussion Questions:

• Has concluding our prayers with "in Jesus' name," become a tradition? Why?
• What does it mean that we pray with the authority of Jesus?
• Why is Jesus' name above every other name?

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