“Prayer in Jesus’ Name”
John 16:23-33
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit
St. John 16:33 – [Jesus said] “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ our Lord… This 6th Sunday of Easter is historically known as “Rogate” Sunday, which is Latin for “PRAY!” Centuries ago, the next three days of this week would be called “Rogation Days,” special days of prayer to God for the fields and for the seeds planted in them, that the world might be blessed with food in the coming harvest.
This might be a good practice for the church to pick up again, especially in light of the various “earth day” celebrations that have become more and more popular since they began in 1970. Unlike earth day, which makes a literal idol out of mother nature, and which has pagan leanings in its references to the “spirit of the earth,” Rogation days of prayer emphasize our dependence on Father God, the Creator and Sustainer of Life. In any event, the Gospel chosen for this Sunday on the historic Church calendar brings out the words of our Lord urging us to pray.
Jesus declares, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” So, what does that mean? What does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name?” The epistle of James helps us to answer that question. First, it tells us what Christian prayer is not. James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:3-4)
Prayer in Jesus’ name is not simply a blank check for all of our worldly dreams and desires. We must confess, however, that too often that is exactly how we use prayer. Too often we try to get God to do our will; too often we try to get Him to make our plans come to fulfillment rather than asking Him to conform us to His will. We need to remember, too, that prayer is not only about asking for ourselves but also coming to God on behalf of others in their need.
We would do well to follow the example of young King Solomon who, when he first became king of Israel, God told him to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon did not ask for riches or long life or the death of his enemies. Instead, faced with the frightening and overwhelming task of ruling Israel, and being only a young man, Solomon asked for a wise and understanding heart, that he might rule well as king. His request was focused not on himself but on what would be faithful to God and loving toward his people.
Jesus Himself teaches us to pray this way in the Lord’s Prayer. Notice that the first three petitions of the Our Father are focused on God: “Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Only then do we get to the petition, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus teaches us in His prayer first to pray for those weightier spiritual matters, that God’s name would be hallowed among us by what we teach and how we live, that His kingdom of grace in Christ would come among us, and that His will would be done in hindering every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. Only then will we be rightly prepared to pray for our daily bread, our bodily needs, and our material desires.
James also has this to say about Christian prayer, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:4-8).
To pray in Jesus’ name, therefore, means to pray with faith in Christ, to pray believing in Him as Savior and Lord, to pray with confidence that He will surely hear and answer you according to His good and gracious will. It is as Martin Luther so wonderfully writes in the Small Catechism under the meaning to the Conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer: “This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us.” This is what distinguishes Christian prayer from all other prayer.
viagra no prescription mastercard Gallbladder removal, fasting, “harsh” liver cleansing, stress, unhealthy eating habits, alcohol, some medications, and recreation drugs seriously influence in regulation and normal work of the sphincter of Oddi, and the duodenum. It, along with proper lubrication, can give you a feeling of embarrassment in men which makes them less likely to admit their problems. levitra generika 10mg This should give your ears a rest and give cipla cialis online visit now it time and work out for sometime daily. Bernadette Paolo What would it be like to watch your home burning down to the ground and you escaping with just the clothes on your back while a team of firefighters stand around refusing to put out the fire, and seeing their fire trucks sitting in the distance doing nothing to help? price cialis Unbelievably, this is what why an ED patient does not get erection.
Over the years I have heard many people say, “I believe in prayer.” And I think they mean well when they say that, but the statement itself is careless and misleading. Christians, of course, believe in the Jesus who hears and answers prayer. We say and confess that we believe that prayer is commanded by God, and we believe in Jesus who paid for all our sins on His cross so that we are free to come to Him in prayer. We do not believe in prayer itself; we believe in Jesus. The focus is on our Lord, not our work or words. Let’s be careful how we say what we believe.
We need to realize that not all prayer is Christian; not all prayer is God-pleasing. Today’s Epistle shows us there is only one way to come to the Father, and that is through Jesus, by faith in Him. Every other way focuses on man and leads, at best, to uncertainty. Every other way ultimately runs into a brick wall. Paul writes to Pastor Timothy, “there is only one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.” (I Tim. 2:5) Jesus is the only way to gain access to the Father, for only He was able to break through the sin barrier that we had erected which cut us off from God. By coming down from heaven and taking on our flesh, Jesus reunited God and man in Himself. And by His sin-destroying death, resurrection, and ascension, He has now cleared the way for us to come to the throne of heaven.
To pray in Jesus’ name, then, means to pray with God-given faith in Him as the only Mediator, the only way back to the Father. And ultimately, to pray in Jesus’ name means that you pray as if you were Jesus Himself! When you call God “Father,” you are certainly praying as though you were Christ. For He is, as we know, the only Son of the Father. The only way legitimately to call God our Father is to gain Christ’s permission to pray in His stead. That privilege is granted to you by your Baptism in Jesus’ name.
There is an ancient custom which we still use at baptism, where the pastor lays his hands upon the child’s head while praying the Lord’s Prayer. That is meant as a visual declaration that the gift of calling God “Father” is being given to the one baptized. Now that person, too, is given permission to pray the Lord’s Prayer. It is as if Jesus is giving you His ID card at the font. In Jesus you are counted as sons of God with all the benefits that come with it. God hears you just like He hears Jesus. The name of Jesus opens heaven to you. It unlocks the door to the Father.
When you pray as a Christian, you are never praying alone, even if you are by yourself, for you are always praying in and with Christ. And if you are praying with Christ, you are also praying together with everyone else who is baptized into Him. That is why we pray “Our Father who art in heaven . . .” even when we are praying in private. Jesus includes Himself in that word “Our.”
Indeed, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father always to intercede and pray for us to the Father and bring Him our petitions and thanksgivings. Jesus is our go-between with God the Father; He is the One who prays our prayers to Him and who thereby gives us the certainty that our prayers are heard. In Romans 8 St. Paul teaches us that the Spirit of Christ intercedes for us with groans that are too deep for words. Sometimes when we are not able to formulate the words as we like, when we come before God with nothing more than our deepest needs and yearnings, the Spirit fills in the blanks with unutterable divine language.
Prayer, then, is as much God’s action as it is yours. When we talk about the “power of prayer,” we’re really talking about the power of God who teaches and moves us to pray. We’re talking about the God who hears our prayers through Christ, and who answers them as a loving Father. When we say “prayer changes things,” what we really mean is that the Lord changes things and changes us as He leads us to trust in Him. The One to whom you are praying counts more than what you say or who you are. For the true God, the Holy Trinity, hears your prayers not because of your merits and qualifications, but for the sake of Jesus alone.
Simply speaking, prayer begins and ends with God. He speaks His words of life into you; and then by those very words He gives you the words to pray and speak back to Him in faith – like a child who learns to speak by listening to His parents. Through the Lord’s coming to you, He enables you to make requests based on what He has spoken and promised, to praise and thank Him for His goodness and mercy toward you.
And to keep you steadfast in that divine faith and life, Jesus gives you many encouragements to pray. In the Gospel He says, “Ask, and you will receive.” “Come in my name as dear children of a dear Father in heaven.” St. James reminds us that very often we do not have because we simply do not ask. We are always looking to our own solutions before we ever give a thought to petitioning the Lord of our life. And so, Jesus gently and lovingly invites us, “Ask, and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.”
So, ask. In this world you will have trouble, and we do. But be of good cheer. Christ has overcome the world by His holy cross. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. For by asking, you are believing in Christ. And believing in Christ, you are receiving Him who is joy in the flesh, who cheers your heart even now with His life-giving body and blood. In Him your joy is truly full.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
