Have you ever noticed how often we can slip into using “Christian phrases” in our everyday life, without fully understanding what the words mean? For example, so many of us (including myself) typically end our prayers with the words “in Jesus’ name.”
Recently, I began to wonder what the phrase “in Jesus’ name” really means. So, I went before the Lord, and asked Him to guide me in the Scriptures to a better understanding of the concept of asking “in My name.” I immediately discovered that there are many instances of this concept. Here are a few:
John 14:13-14 NASB "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
John 16:23-24 NASB "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. (24) "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
Observation: Taken at face value, these verses make it sound as if we just say the “magic” words “in the name of Jesus”, and we will get whatever we ask for.
But what does asking “in My name” really mean? When I looked at the Greek word translated as “name,” I gained some valuable insights.
Name = onoma (Greek). Name, authority, character. (Strong’s Greek Lexicon)
So, I realized that asking “in My name” means asking consistent with the authority and character of Jesus. This became increasingly clear as I looked at other related passages.
The authority of Jesus:
· Matthew 8:5-10, 13 HCSB When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, (6) "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!" (7) "I will come and heal him," He told him. (8) "Lord," the centurion replied, "I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. (9) For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes; and to another, 'Come!' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." (10) Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, "I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! (13) Then Jesus told the centurion, "Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you." And his servant was cured that very moment.
o Application: Asking in Jesus’ name means that, like the centurion, we acknowledge the authority of Jesus that is inherent in His name.
· Philippians 2:10 TPT The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm.
o Application: Asking in Jesus’ name means that our requests acknowledge the authority inherent in His name.
The character of Jesus:
· John 15:7 NASB "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
o Application: Asking in Jesus’ name means that we are abiding in Jesus (resting and living in Him) and His words are abiding in us. We are reading, reflecting on, and acting on the Bible (where His words are recorded), so that our hearts are changed. We have a relationship with Jesus as our Savior. We are letting our walk with Jesus shape and influence our requests.
· 1 John 3:19-22 NIV This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence: (20) If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. (21) Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (22) and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him.
o Application: Asking in Jesus’ name means that we have a clear conscience before God. Our hearts do not condemn us. We are living as God has called us to live. This keeps our requests consistent with the character of Jesus.
· James 4:3 NASB You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
o Application: Asking in Jesus’ name means that we are asking with proper motives. Our motives are based on serving God and others, not ourselves. This keeps our requests consistent with the character of Jesus. Asking with wrong motives is, therefore, not asking “in My name.”
Let’s summarize these insights by looking again at our opening verse:
John 14:13-14 NLT You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. (14) Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, [consistent with My authority and character,] and I will do it!
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”