The Power of Praying in Jesus’ Name

When God created humanity in His image there was open communication between God and man (Gen 1–2). When man sinned against God (Gen 3), communication was hindered both vertically and horizontally. Communication remains one of the most significant problems in the world, today.

When God, in His great mercy (Rom 9:15–16), sends the Holy Spirit to one’s soul (Jn 14:26; 15:26), He is opening the line of communication with that individual. Two means of grace are involved in this: first, God communicates with His chosen people through the agency of the Spirit and the Word; second, His beloved communicate by praying in that same Spirit sent to them by God the Father and God the Son. God is in Heaven, giving every good and every perfect gift to His adopted children (Eph 1:4–5; Jas 1:17), who remain in the orphanage of this world. We are not left as orphans; however, for we are given the right to call God, our Father, even as we have the right to be called, “children of God” because of what God has done for us (1 Jn 3:1, 10).

We pray to God our Father to worship and adore Him. We praise God for His many wonders (Ps 40). We give thanks to God for His kindness and generosity in providing all good things for life and ministry (2 Cor 9:8, 11). Because we live in a fallen world, our needs are many. We pray for help.

In praying, Christians demonstrate our faith in the Triune God revealed to us in the Bible (Mt 28:19–20). Our help comes from the Lord of heaven and earth. We trust in His provision.

In John 16:23–24, Jesus continued to instruct His disciples in His farewell discourse (Jn 14–16). He was preparing them for His departure from them. They needed to know how to pray to God when He ascended to heaven. Instead of asking Jesus, the disciples would ask the Father to provide what they need.

In the same way, we ask the Father; and we do so “in Jesus’ name.” It is a bit confusing because Christians typically add this brief phrase to the end of their prayers. No prayer in the Bible does that, however. Instead, we must understand what “in Jesus’ name” really means, and why there is power in His name.

On our approach to God in prayer, we have access because of Jesus. His character and quality reputation, along with His meritorious work have made a way for us to enter the presence of the Father in the Spirit. Christians pray in the Spirit to God the Father through God the Son, who ever lives to make intercession for us (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25). In His sacrificial work, Jesus was the antitype for Aaron. In His priestly work on the throne of God, Jesus is the antitype for Melchizedek.

The Holy Spirit also performs the work of intercession in praying for us when we do not have the words to say. The world cannot receive the Spirit (Jn 14:17); therefore, His intercessory work is exclusive to those He indwells (Rom 8:9, 11).

Jesus promised the eleven disciples that the Father would give them what they asked for in Jesus’ name. This has never been as license for asking according to one’s lusts. It is the realization that when we pray in alignment with God’s will, God does answer our prayers. The will of God is revealed to us in the Word of God. Therefore, the more we know of God’s Word, the Bible, the more we can pray in alignment with it.

There is great joy in having one’s prayers answered. This enhances the joy of prayer itself. We must pray expectant that God will do what He promised. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). This means that the Spirit produces joy as a virtue in the true believer. It is the Spirit who lives and works within those He has caused to be born again (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3). The indwelling Spirit employs the means of grace to bless God’s people. Prayer is a means of grace. This means that the Spirit is at work when the child of God praying to the Father.

There is no restriction or formalism to communicating with any of the three Persons of the Godhead. We pray to Jesus, giving thanks to Him, alone, for His work on the cross. We pray for the Spirit to teach us the Scriptures. There is a time and place for praying to each member of the Trinity.

If our prayers remain unanswered, we wait and trust that God’s ways are higher than our ways. It is basic for us to pray, and then to wait for an answer. God is glorified when we pray in the right manner of reverence. He is also glorified when one waits in hope for God to do what has been supplicated.

In learning to pray from other Christians at church and from the examples in both testaments, we should be known as people of prayer. It is the best evidence of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We love Him even though we have yet to see him (2 Pet 1:8). He has poured out His love in our hearts by giving us His Spirit (Rom 5:5).

The natural man does not know how to pray. Instead, he relies on repetitious utterances to unknown deities. For him, prayer is a show. For the child of God, it is a vital connection to God our Father. Why pray more? To demonstrate we believe in the power of this communication with God.

May God grant you more prayer, my dear reader, and may you pray all the more as a demonstration of your identification with Christ; your need for Him; and your faith that He will do for you above and beyond all you could ever think or imagine.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

September 10, 2024

John 16:23–24