“IN MY NAME”
Magic expression or a position of
abiding?
Many Christians and
their teachers can quote part if not all of John 13, 14: and whatsoever you ask
in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you
shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Any Christian who has
been around the church for more than a day, is very familiar with the term
"in the name of Jesus", as it is tagged on to all prayer and is used
when commanding evil spirits to be bound or cast out.
Any Christian who is
totally honest will admit that even though they add "in the name of Jesus'
on to all prayer, just before AMEN they do not always witness the devils
complying, nor the thing they have asked for manifest.
So, why does there
seem to be a discrepancy between what the Bible clearly says and what we
experience most of the time?
Is the problem with
the Bible or is the problem with us and our understanding and our position in
Christ? I doubt the Bible is the problem, so that leaves me to look at the
second possibility which is to examine ME.
Hashtag or Position
of Abiding?
The shortest word in
that phrase is perhaps the key to understanding what is happening when we pray
'in the name of Jesus'.
The word translated
IN is defined in Strong's like this:
en
A primary preposition denoting (fixed)
position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality
(medially or constructively), that is, a relation of rest.
It would seem for
this scripture to be consistent with our experience we would have to be meeting
what the word 'in' translated from 'en' actually means.
Although the word
'in' is very small it is a most important word, to understand what is really
being said. When we say IN the name of Jesus we need to be fulfilling what that
word means as it applies to us. It means we are to be in a fixed place in a
relation of rest. It is not a meaningless first word in a five word hashtag.
The amplified bible
says: in My name {as my representative]
which implies a position of ambassador who is in fact speaking for and with the
same authority as the one who sent him.
To sum up what the
phrase ' in the name of Jesus' means: we need to be in a place of abiding and
dwelling (Ps 91) and when we are we will only say what we HEAR the Father
saying. Jesus only said what he heard: “For
I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a
command, what I should say and what I should speak.”(John 12:49).
I think it can be
safely said for 'in the name of Jesus' to have the desired effect it must come
from a place of abiding and from that position hearing and from that position
doing. Jesus said "I can of Myself
do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not
seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30).
Notice that Jesus was only seeking the will of the Father and not Himself.
Should we expect our prayers to be answered when we are not in line with
Father's will?
It is clear that
unless we abide WE CAN DO NOTHING. "I
am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."(John
15:5)
Scripture also says
"and all things, whatsoever you
shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" (Matt. 21:22). The key
word believing comes from that place of
abiding and hearing. When we hear from that place of abiding we have no trouble
'believing'. What we hear from that place will be in line with the Father's
will. “Now this is the confidence that we
have in Him, 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 the petitions
that we have asked of Him”.(1 John 5:14,15)
Thinking adding the
hashtag 'in the name of Jesus' is the only requirement for answered prayer is a
sign of immaturity and wishful thinking. We risk shaking our faith, when we use
that hashtag again and again, only to not see our prayer answered or to see
devils disobey. If we are being brutally honest with ourselves do we really
believe all we have to say is ‘in the name of Jesus’ to have done whatsoever we
ask?
Place of abiding or
hashtag? You decide.