What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?

John 14:13-14 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Do you end your prayers with “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”  Do you do it quickly without thinking about it?  Is it kind of like a “good-bye” to God?  Sort of a  “so long”, “see you later”, or “over and out.”  Do you really think about what it means to pray in Jesus’ name? 

It’s not a magic formula that you have to add in order to get what you want.  It’s not a way of saying, “I’m done praying now.”  They are the words that communicate everything about what gives us the right to pray to God.

When we pray in Jesus’ name we are putting our whole faith for the answers to our prayers in His hands.  It has nothing to do with who we are or what we’ve done; it’s totally about who Jesus is and what He’s done.

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with Jesus’ authority and asking God (the Father) to answer our prayers because we come in the name of His Son. 

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying according to God’s will.

1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him.”

When you seek the Lord with your whole heart, your prayers will line up with His will. 

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