WHEN Jesus taught about prayer, he said very important things that we need to pay attention to if our prayer lives are to be effective. One of those things relate to praying in the name of Jesus.
divine insight BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
At face value, this looks very simple, but some people think of praying through the name of Jesus.
John 16:23-24, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” Jesus said whatsoever you shall ask “in” — and not “through” his name.
To pray in His name is to assume His authority, His glory and His person. When you ask the Father anything or make a demand in the name of Jesus, it’s as though Jesus himself were asking. But to pray through his is to make him a medium or intermediary to the Father, and that’s not biblical.
This demonstrates the significance of praying in the name of Jesus. It means you don’t pray to Jesus –– as in making requests. John 16:26-27, “At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you.”
This is so profound. Jesus is saying the Father loves you so much that you don’t need a go-between. This means you don’t direct your requests to Jesus. Yes, you can worship him, you can tell him how much you love him and adore him, but you don’t pray to him.
You see, it would be senseless to pray to Jesus in the name of Jesus because when you pray in Jesus’ name, you are praying in his place, which implies that when God looks at you in prayer, it’s like Jesus is making the request –– and God will not deny him anything.
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The name of Jesus has legal force in the realm of the spirit and that is why we pray in that name. So when you exercise faith in that name, miracles happen. It’s not about how anointed or how gifted you are. It’s about faith in that name. Anyone who uses it with understanding will get results. It’s about revelation and consciousness.
Jesus gave us authority to use his name. It’s called the power of attorney. It means we can carry out spiritual transactions and exercise jurisdiction on his behalf. The name of Jesus carries authority both in heaven and on the earth. Philippians 2:9-10, “Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth…”
When you use the name of Jesus with understanding, there will be no room for doubt. The scriptures carry enough bankable authority on what you can do in the Name of Jesus. Remember, everything, living and non-living, was commanded to hear and obey Jesus (Matthew 17:5).
When you call the name with revelation heaven responds. Even demons know what you are talking about because there is power and authority invested in that name. That is why it’s important to know who Jesus really is: it’s more than just a name.
There’s no place where the Christian is asked to pray to Jesus or through Jesus. The Bible teaches is that we pray in the name of Jesus. So, if you have a request to make of the Father and you want that request granted, do it in the name of Jesus, not to Jesus or through Jesus. As Christians, we don’t need an intermediary between us and the Father. We have been granted direct access.
The next time you hear someone pray and conclude with, “through Jesus Christ, our Lord”, let them know they haven’t prayed as yet, because that prayer isn’t going to be answered.
Phillip Chidavaenzi is the author of several books including Walking in the Spirit (2017) and Give Me Souls, Or I Die! He can be contacted on [email protected]
