Why
should we pray in the Name of Jesus?
Google
defines a name as "a
word or set of words by which a person or thing is known, addressed, or
referred to". So what makes a name so special? And more specifically,
why all the fuss about the Name of God?
Recently
a thought came to my mind concerning this Name and the world's insistence on
using it idly. Isn't it strange that you would never be watching TV and in high
speed car chase, after barely avoiding a head on collision, one of the
characters exclaims, "Buddha, that was close!" Likewise, in no movie
has the name "Muhammad" ever been used as an expletive. But for some
reason the Lord's Name is quite popular for this application. Jesus, Christ,
Jesus Christ, God, God Almighty, God Above, Sweet Jesus and a whole host of
others are all used in a dishonorable fashion on radio, TV and other sources of
media. Obviously they have never heard or pay no heed to the third commandment,
which states:
“You shall not misuse the name
of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses
his name.” (Exodus
20:7)*
It is quite clear then that the
Lord is serious about His Name. The question is: why?
Without becoming overly
philosophical, I propose that a name is the most elementary
representation of a person in their entirety. That if a person's entire
identity could be captured in just one word, that word would be a name. That is
why it is so difficult to name ones children these days (because we don't do
the family names anymore - that ship has sailed long ago!). My wife and I went
through the arduous process of choosing our youngest son's name about two years
ago. It involved countless instances of one of us quite hopefully suggesting a
name, only for it to be dismissed by the other, because, "that was the
name of a bully in my primary school," or "I'm pretty sure my cousin
named her dog that," or "according to Google that name means
'destroyer of peace'!" A name is connected to the bearer of it, and it is
near impossible to separate the two.
So
what does all this tell us about God? Well one thing we cannot deny is that our
God has many names. Jesus alone is given more than 200 names in scripture,
names like Emmanuel, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Peace. I believe this is
for our benefit. Every one of God's names convey some aspect of His character.
For instance when I'm praying for breakthrough against overwhelming odds, it
actually builds my faith when I can call Him my Mighty Fortress! And
when I am left in awe of the starry host on a clear night, my praise and
adoration feels a little more appropriate when I can call Him Creator and
Sustainer of Heaven and Earth.
Even
so, it is just a name right? Surely there isn't some special mystical power in
something as simple as a name? Well let's see what the Word tells us about the
Lord's Name.
The
apostle John in his gospel introduces Jesus as the Word. He goes on to make a
statement vital to our understanding of salvation through Christ. He wrote, "Yet
to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave
the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) This is not an
isolated occurrence of this theme in scripture. The first part of Joel 2:32
states, “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be
saved,” a statement quoted by Peter in his sermon in Acts 2 and later by
Paul in chapter 10 of his
letter to the Romans. The Lord's name grants us access to all that He is and
all that He does. Jesus is the Saviour of the world it's true, but when I
believed in His name He became MY Saviour.
This
name grants us more than just salvation though. I love the account of Peter healing the
lame beggar in Acts
3. When the man asked Peter and John for money, Peter responds, “Silver
or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6) And not only did the man walk,
but because of the miracle thousands came to the Lord that same day! It stirs
my faith reading this and realizing that when our faith collides with that
wonderful name, supernatural things start happening. Undeniably there is power
in the name of Jesus. But the power of the Lord's name in your prayer life is
directly related to the revelation you have of Him. Later in the book of Acts
we find the account of the seven sons of Sceva trying to cast out a demon
"in the name of Jesus who Paul preaches." But instead of leaving the
person, the demon replied, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are
you?” (Acts 19:15) And the evil spirit overpowered them causing all seven
to flee the house naked and bloodied. It becomes clear then that one cannot
simply invoke the name of Jesus as if it were a spell. It requires faith, and
faith is rooted in who God is TO YOU.
So
we need the name of the Lord for salvation, healing and deliverance. But what
about His protection? When Jesus prays for the disciples in John 17, He makes
mention of the protection afforded to His followers because of His name. He
prayed, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the
name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them,
I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave
me." (John 17:11b-12a) There is an old Pentecostal song we used
to sing when I was growing up. Its verse is taken directly out of Proverbs
18:10, which states, “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the
righteous run to it and are safe.” How great is the name of our God that it
is a place of safety for all who call upon it! But like we established earlier,
we must know the God behind the name for our faith in that name to be
effective. If revelation of God flows from a relationship with Him, it means
the more we get to know Him in a specific situation, the more effective our
faith becomes in that area. It is easier to believe God can protect me today if
I already experienced His protection yesterday. One can almost say His name
becomes "more powerful" in the life of the believer as His character
is revealed.
My
friend, there is authority in the name of Jesus that we can hardly begin to
grasp. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
Jesus reigns supreme. He rules from the highest place in the heavenlies. In
fact, His authority is so great that at the mere mention of His name every
being in existence has no choice but to bow and pay homage to Him. I declare to
you that from the smallest atomic particle to the biggest galaxies, all of
creation knows the authority of that name. The angels and Living Creatures and
Elders who surround the throne know the authority of His name. And you best
believe that every demon, evil spirit and the devil himself knows that they can
not stand against the authority of the name of Jesus Christ. So when the enemy
presses his attack and you are resisting him in prayer, there is no need to
introduce Him. Since Satan knows the power of that name it is unnecessary to
debate, elaborate or convince him. No, you boldly call upon the name above
every name and you tell him, "Devil, IN THE NAME OF JESUS!" Our
adversary doesn't stand a chance!
In
closing it is only appropriate to respond to this revelation by praising His
name. At times I wonder what the world thinks when a Christian utters the
words, "Praise the name of the Lord!" Or, "Bless Your name
Jesus!" But how can we, having understood the mystery and the potency of
this wonderful name; having tasted it's power to save and heal and deliver; how
can we not but give the highest glory, honour and adoration to the name of
Jesus? In truth, that is what we were taught when the disciples asked the Lord
about prayer. He said, “This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name." (Matthew 6:9)
Ibarto Botes
*All
scripture quoted from the New International Version. Emphasis mine.
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