IN MY NAME
At that time you won’t need to ask Me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and He will grant your request because you use My name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. (John 16:23–24, NLT)
A person's name is a word that brings to mind the representation of that person. When I mention or hear someone's name, it brings to my mind the image or representation of that person. I recall what I know of this person and what he or she has meant to my life.
Additionally, the name of a King includes his honor, power and his kingdom. The King's name is a symbol of his power.
God has many names in the Bible, and each name embodies some aspect of His character. God is El-Shaddai - the God of the mountains. He is El Elyon - the most High God. He is Yahweh Yireh - the God who provides. These are only a few of the many names of God in the Scriptures. Each name represents some aspect of the glory of our God.
Yet the name of Jesus is the living expression of all that God has done and all that God will do. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the exact representation of God's being (Hebrews 1). And the name of Jesus is the ultimate Name that is above all names. “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)
What does it mean to come in the name of another person? It means that we come with the power and authority of that other person. If we have permission to use their name, then we come as their representative, bearing the marks of their power and authority. That is the kind of spiritual authority that Jesus grants to us in prayer.
Jesus teaches us that we can now go directly to the Father, and ask (pray) using His name, and we will receive.
Jesus gives to all of His disciples a general and unlimited power of the free use of His Name at all times and for all they desire. In doing this, Jesus trusts that we will have His interests at the uppermost in our minds. Jesus trusts that His honor will be safe in our hands. The free use of Jesus’ name is a sign of great confidence and of close and intimate connection.
Also, when I go in the name of another, I deny myself. I take not only his name but himself and what he is, instead of myself and what I am.
These are profound realities about the power -- and responsibility -- of praying in Jesus’ name.
So this is a profound mystery. The name of Jesus is granted to us. His name grants us direct access to the Father. Anything we ask in Jesus' Name, we will receive it, along with abundant joy. We get access to all the rights of that Name. And we choose to take up all the responsibilities of bearing that Name.
What is God saying to me today?
My Prayer List:
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Personal Prayer:
Father, our hearts are full of amazement at this thought: We can come directly to You and bring our thoughts, our fears, and our requests directly to Your throne. We have been granted access to You because of the Name of Jesus. Help us, to not only to stand before You and bring our prayers to You in Jesus’ name, but also to bear the responsibility of that name as we live our lives out before You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.