“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24).
They’re called game changers. New players. New rules or rulings. New technologies. New rays of understanding. But sometimes we’re so adjusted, so acclimated to the game changer, it’s easy to lose the significance of it.
In the verse above, Jesus introduces a game changer. In fact, He rewrites the entire playbook for prayer. “Until now,” He says, “you have asked for nothing in My name. Up until now, you have prayed, but you haven’t taken on My identity or authority. You haven’t prayed ‘as if’ it were Me doing the asking”
Now… time to change the game. And that’s what praying in His name produces.
Praying “as if” – that’s what it means to pray in His name. It’s a whole lot more than using a tired old phrase at the end of a prayer. Praying in His name seizes the handle of the greatest cosmic weapon in the universe.
Take a look at any situation. A personal need, a friend in need, whatever… How would Jesus address that situation? How would Jesus pray? What would Jesus want? If you could assume and wield the power and authority of Jesus Christ, what would you ask the Father?
That’s what it means to pray in His name.
What difference does it make? All the difference in the world.
I have no authority – just needs and messes. He has all authority. All things have been given to Him. And He gives us His authority to manage it.
Maybe the fight we fight in prayer isn’t as much against the devil as it is against our own prayerlessness. Or against the conflicting priorities of others who are “praying in His name.”
If one of us is using the authority of Jesus to pray, that’s powerful enough. What could happen if two of us did the same thing in absolute unity?
What if there were 12? Or 120… all claiming the authority of Jesus for the exact same thing? Do you think we could punch a hole in the kingdoms of this world with that kind of authority? No doubt about it.
Dare today to lay hold of the weapon. Dare today to take up His name. Stand in His authority and ask as if you were actually completely free to use it to advance His purposes.
Pray “as if.”
This changes everything.
Talk about blowing one away today, Andy . . . I have been praying and then asking in Jesus’ name. Now, I will pray “as if” and stand boldly in His presence. Oh, yes, what a difference this could make in our broken and hurting world!
Sharing, my friend!
Blessings to you and thanks for this awesome enlightenment!
Martha Orlando´s last blog post ..Don’t Take Everything for "Granite"!
Comments on this entry are closed.