FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: John 16:24

“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

One of the reasons why we can ask and not receive is because we ask in our own name. This would be similar to a child who asks his parent for something, but his asking is not based on need or the parent’s judgment and willingness to give. Instead, his asking is based selfishly upon one or two things he did to help around the house. Because of this, he now thinks he has the right to tell his parents exactly what he wants them to do, even how and when they should do it. If his parents truly love this child, will they respond to his selfish demands in the way and at the time that he wants it?

Understand that this doesn’t mean we can’t ask for our needs to be met, on the contrary God wants us to come to Him as He already has a plan for your needs. However, are you asking for self to be glorified or for God to be exalted in the answer? Are you asking, not to enjoy communion with the Father, but because like the child in the last paragraph, you expect it from Him at any price? We can ask in faith and believe that God will give us His best answer, whether it is exactly what we want. Praying in Christ’s name, means we are also asking for His perfect will in whatever the prayer may be.

One clear evidence of problems in Christians’ prayer lives is when we spend more time preparing to come to Christ than in actually coming to Him. Parents, what would you think of your child who had a need, but spent hours getting himself ready, thinking of how to say things in a perfect way, working up all the right feelings, showing all the right mannerisms, and then hoping, maybe, that you will be willing to hear him? Would this honor or insult you and your love for your child?

Praying in Christ’s name requires repudiating praying in our own name. It not only testifies of our status as sinners but also of Christ’s status as Savior—of our sin, and His grace! No wonder Scripture lovingly commands us to pray in the name of Christ.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: John 16:24

“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Though often we frequently end our prayers with “for Jesus’ sake,” we often pray for our own sake. Although we condemn the doctrine of salvation by our own good works and believe in salvation by grace based upon Christ’s merits, this truth is often missing in a practical way in our daily prayer life.

We tend to think that when we have warm feelings, a lively sense of deep reverence, a feeling of heart humility, a close sense of God’s presence, or real earnestness for the Lord, that God will then hear our prayer. If we reason this way, on what foundation are we basing our judgment? Is it as it is so often with other aspects of our walk, based on feelings? Do we truly believe that God will hear our prayer for Jesus’ sake, or for ours? Do we think that God will be pleased, on the basis of our feelings, to give us what we have asked for? Do we believe that our prayers themselves deserve to be heard, answered, and rewarded by a perfect God, who can only be pleased by perfect righteousness? If so, we are denigrating the perfections of God—His divine attributes—to our own level and thereby insulting His holy, infinite Being.

Praying in the name of Christ is to not base my hope and expectation of being heard upon the merits of my “good” prayers. Rather, it is to pray putting all my trust in Jesus Christ’s merits and His intercession. Sometimes we feel that our prayers are so poor and lacking so much that we despair of an audience with the Lord. There can be so little persevering, thanking, and felt need in our prayers that we often conclude that God will never hear them. Reasoning like this displays a lack of praying “for Jesus’ sake.” It testifies of unbelief in God’s grace and love for undeserving sinners.

Jesus taught us, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name.” To pray in Christ’s name is to take refuge in Him as God’s beloved Son—the One whom the Father delights to hear and to honor. Praying in Jesus’ name includes confessing who is truly God and Master in my life. While we condemn praying to idols as being foolish, how many times do we not pray to the idol of self? We often bow our knees to our god of self. Satan tempted Jesus by saying, “Bow down and worship me.” Think of what a degrading insult this was to God! Our prayers can testify that we are looking to the god of self with the attitude that we are lord and master. We even dare to tell God to do our bidding. We act as though we are Lord and God is our servant. Have you ever felt guilty of this in your prayers and been arrested in prayer for your self-centered idolatry?

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.