Can I ask for a Ferrari?
Can I really ask for anything in Jesus' name?
I recently subscribed to http://www.icr.org/ for their terrific creation/evolution newsletter. Along with that I started getting daily nuggets and today's "Asking in Jesus' Name" was good.
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). In the Gospel of John there are at least six promises that, if we pray in Jesus' name, God in Christ will answer our prayer. ... The key, however, is the significance of the phrase, "in my name." This obviously means more than simply beginning or ending our prayer with this or some similar phrase.
In the first place, we must recognize that it is only through Jesus Christ our mediator that we dare enter the presence of the omnipotent God at all. "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6), He said. That being true, it also implies that our prayer must be in agreement with what Christ Himself would pray. No Christian should ask for something he knows to be against God's will. "If we ask any thing according to His will . . . we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (I John 5:14,15).
When we come to the Father in Christ's name, we are in a very real sense representing Him. Therefore, we must come with clean hands and motives worthy of the One in whose name we profess to come. Unconfessed, unrepented sin would surely misrepresent Him, and we could hardly speak in His name in such a case.
Praying to God "in Jesus name" does not mean some sort of formality, or incantation. Not terminology we use commonly, but when someone comes "in somebody else's name" they are speaking on behalf of and representing that person. Their words are not their own, but those of the person they are representing. We call this person an ambassador. Paul says that we (His redeemed children) are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20.) Scripture is clear that we represent Jesus to the world 24/7, that "no one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord... we are the Lord's." (Rom 14:7) However, the ICR article touches on another aspect of representing Jesus - when we come to God our Father in prayer. We must come in purity. We must come with Jesus' words, words that align with His desires.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully." (Psalm 24:3-4)
But what about that verse that says He will give me whatever I desire?
That verse reads, "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4). It means that if you make God the object of your delight/desire, He will place in your heart desires that are "true... honorable... right... pure... lovely... of good repute... excellent... worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8)
So don't hold you breath for that Ferrari - if you are delighting yourself in God, you won't want to.
I recently subscribed to http://www.icr.org/ for their terrific creation/evolution newsletter. Along with that I started getting daily nuggets and today's "Asking in Jesus' Name" was good.
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). In the Gospel of John there are at least six promises that, if we pray in Jesus' name, God in Christ will answer our prayer. ... The key, however, is the significance of the phrase, "in my name." This obviously means more than simply beginning or ending our prayer with this or some similar phrase.
In the first place, we must recognize that it is only through Jesus Christ our mediator that we dare enter the presence of the omnipotent God at all. "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6), He said. That being true, it also implies that our prayer must be in agreement with what Christ Himself would pray. No Christian should ask for something he knows to be against God's will. "If we ask any thing according to His will . . . we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (I John 5:14,15).
When we come to the Father in Christ's name, we are in a very real sense representing Him. Therefore, we must come with clean hands and motives worthy of the One in whose name we profess to come. Unconfessed, unrepented sin would surely misrepresent Him, and we could hardly speak in His name in such a case.
Praying to God "in Jesus name" does not mean some sort of formality, or incantation. Not terminology we use commonly, but when someone comes "in somebody else's name" they are speaking on behalf of and representing that person. Their words are not their own, but those of the person they are representing. We call this person an ambassador. Paul says that we (His redeemed children) are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20.) Scripture is clear that we represent Jesus to the world 24/7, that "no one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord... we are the Lord's." (Rom 14:7) However, the ICR article touches on another aspect of representing Jesus - when we come to God our Father in prayer. We must come in purity. We must come with Jesus' words, words that align with His desires.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully." (Psalm 24:3-4)
But what about that verse that says He will give me whatever I desire?
That verse reads, "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4). It means that if you make God the object of your delight/desire, He will place in your heart desires that are "true... honorable... right... pure... lovely... of good repute... excellent... worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8)
So don't hold you breath for that Ferrari - if you are delighting yourself in God, you won't want to.
Comments
Great stuff. I think another verse that comes into play in this area is the one we talked about Monday night James 4:3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.