“Glory to His name… glory to His name… there to my heart was the blood applied… glory to His name!” I’ve been singing that a lot lately, and maybe that’s because I’ve been reading the books of Acts. It is surprising how many times, when referring to Jesus, “the Name” is mentioned. It says that everywhere in Acts. Like for instance in Acts 5, after the apostles were flogged, it says that they “Left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” It truly is as though Jesus and the Name are the same thing. And they are!
And I tell you, this little fact – an important observation about the book of Acts – this little truth has really influenced my prayer life as of late. Because when I pray something “in the name of Jesus,” it’s like… well, I realize it means to pray in a manner that’s consistent with who Jesus really is… His character… His life.
Think about that for a minute. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you should expect to receive the sorts of things that are consistent with that name… with Christ’s character. Things such as patience and a love for the Father… things like concern for other believers, for the suffering, for the homeless and hurting. I mean, look at those apostles in Acts 5: they rejoiced because they saw their suffering as something “worthy” of the name.
So how does this translate when you pray? Well, we might pray in His name for financial prosperity, but as we do… we need to remember that the riches Jesus had were out of this world… He was the one who said, in fact, that God has made the poor of this world rich in faith… He was on the side of the poor. Or we might pray in His name for a new house, but Jesus didn’t have a pillow on which to lay His head. Foxes had holes to sleep in, but Jesus never had a real home. We might pray in His name that suffering cease, but 1 Peter 2 says, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.”
You see, here’s the thing: When we pray for things in the name of Jesus, God may very well choose to give us something even more precious, something even closer to what His name and character are all about. And that is, peace and joy… the kind of joy that makes us content and glad, no matter what our financial status… or what our home is like… or how much suffering we deal with. God will grant us things that are truly eternal, genuinely God-glorifying, things that honestly reflect what the name of His Son is all about. And, friend, that’s the best answer you could ever pray for – in His Name.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
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