Lord Jesus has promised that whatever you ask in My name, My Father will give to you. Then He repeated the same promise for Himself also thst I will do it that the Father is glorified in the Son and all our prayers are in His mighty name only. In the power of His name we command and the evil spirit flee for in His name His authority and power is manifested. But the name of the Saviour is not a mantra that opens closed doors and blessings automatically come. So what is the secret of asking in His name that we may get the answers to our prayers?
The significance of a name – During Old Testament times someone’s name carried great meaning and significance in that his persona was identified. The Egyptians out of reverence for their gods, added their own name to their gods, like Tutankhamen (living image of Amen). Naming someone was and still is considered an honour and identifies one’s authority and importance in the life of the one being named. Adam was blessed by God with dominion over all beings on the earth with a command to dominate and subdue them. In fulfilment of this and to enforce his authority, Adam was then called by God to name each beast of the field and every bird of the air(Genesis 2:19 &22-23). After forming the woman from the rib of man, God brought her to Adam and Adam saw his familiarity with her to name her ‘isha’ or woman, for she was formed out of man, ‘ish’ or man. After their sin of disobedience and the curse of death, Adam realized the different status of a woman, independent of him, as bearer of children and bringing life into the world. He then named her as Eve, ‘mother of all living’ and the changed name identified her new role and character.
In Genesis 1 God is referred to as Elohim, which means more than One and the majestic Creator is seen as a distant God who says or commands and everything comes into being. In Genesis 2 God’s personal involvement in the creation of man is seen, in forming him from the dust and then breathing into him ‘the breath of life’. God then became further involved to be a ‘Gardener’ by planting a ‘garden in the east in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed’ (Genesis 2:8). In this God is known as Yahweh, a name implying One who keeps the Covenant’ or One having a close relationship with His people and is closely involved in their lives. Someone’s name, thus, revealed not only his/her identity but in some ways their role in the scheme of God’s plan for the world.
God changed Abram’s name which means ‘exalted father’ to Abraham or ‘father of a multitude or many nations’. As Abram he was renowned and respected but only as Abraham could he receive the blessing to be father of Isaac and be the patriarch for the Jewish people. Hoshea, son of Nun, was Moses’ assistant for forty years in the wilderness years. When he was to go with the other eleven chosen leaders to spy out the land of Canaan, Moses changed his name which earlier meant ‘salvation’ to Yehoshua meaning ‘God is salvation’ thus protecting him from the evil report of the other ten (Numbers 13:16). Angel Gabriel visited Zacharias, the priest, while he was chosen for duty for that day to offer incense in the Temple, and informed him of the birth of a son to him and his wife Elizabeth in their old age. He then revealed the God given name for the child as Yohanan called John in English and the Hebrew word means ‘God is gracious’ (Luke 1:13). The name depicted the grace of God to the old couple who had lost hope of ever having a child. Also John the Baptist was the one to prepare the way for the Son of God as prophesied earlier (Isaiah 40:3).
Phinehas and his brother, the two sons of Eli the priest, died in battle and the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. His wife was pregnant and on hearing the news of the death of her father-in-law and her husband, went into labour, delivered a child and died (1 Samuel 4:19-21). Before her death she named the child ‘Ichabod’ which means ‘Where is the glory?’ for she said ‘Israel’s glory is gone’. The name of an individual linked him to the future as well as to the past and invariably the father of the boy would name the child. Like John the Baptist, the birth of the Redeemer was also in fulfilment of the prophecy of His birth through a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). In the Jewish culture of that day knowing the name of a person meant understanding and knowing his nature and capabilities/future. Therefore, the name of someone refers to his authority and reputation and it is common for a father to a child going away from home to mention, ‘Do not do something that will spoil our good name’. Even a wicked robber uses his name and his reputation to terrorise others. When we use someone’s name as a reference point we align ourselves with his reputation, authority and character. To speak Yeshua or Jesus is to accept Him as my Redeemer, Deliverer and Savior, for Yeshua means ‘to deliver, rescue’ and only through this surrender do we receive answers to what we ask in His name.
Effect of God placing His Word over His name for believers – King David declared, ‘I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth’ (Psalm 138:2). He recognized the Temple in Jerusalem, at that time the Tabernacle, as the God appointed place for worship and sacrifice and promised to worship as per God’s direction. Wherever a believer is, his soul must turn by sacred instinct towards God in His son our Redeemer. Moses sought God to tell Him His name, for “god of your ancestors’ may not be enough to convince the Israelites in Egyptian bondage. He wanted to first fully know and understand God and then convey that to the Israelites.
The Third Commandment specifically warns, ‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain’ (Exodus 20:7). The Hebrew word ‘shav’ means ‘deceit, false, empty or worthless, vain’. The way most people use God’s name for all sorts of expressions today in disregarding the power and authority of El Shaddai, the Creator Almighty God shows utter disregard for the power of God and His name. Lord Jesus teaching about the coming Holy Spirit said, ‘At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you’ (John 14:20 & 23). The Saviour Lord further elaborated that all those who love Him will keep His Word and that ‘My Father will love Him, and we will come to Him and make Our home with Him’.
God commanded Moses and showed him the design of the Tabernacle to make exactly as per that pattern and as per His command and said, ‘Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them’ (Exodus 25:8). God has always desired a close relationship with mankind and the coming of His Son as our Redeemer fulfils the condition of forgiveness of our sins so that we could get back into the presence of God. Moses received the Word of God as a means to reveal the nature of God and to assure the people about His promises to mankind. God first declared the difference in His thoughts and ways with ours for we can and do go back from our word but God’s Word is like rain coming down from above which never goes back (Isaiah 55:9-11). God has said ‘My word that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void; but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the things for which I sent it’. God’s Word and His name both reveal the truth and nature of God. God holds the promises contained in Scripture to be so important that He regards these as more sacred than His name. When we are forbidden to use His name in vain, we cannot take His word without reverence, for it is effective. When we quote God’s Word in our prayers, we remind Him about His promise and expect Him to fulfil that.
God wants all those who hear His word to believe Him and by this hearing to grow strong in faith (Romans 10:17). It was with this in mind that Apostle Paul has said, ‘All Scripture is ‘God breathed’ and is living and life giving to the dead in sin (2 Timothy 3:16). Someone’s word and its fulfilment is about his integrity and God holds His Word more precious than His name, thus assuring us of His absolute guarantee of its fulfilment. When we pray in the name of Jesus as He has promised to answer and do what we ask, we align our prayers with His ways. By God’s grace we learn that the Son of God became Man with the ultimate purpose of glorifying His Father. He is the Living Word and was with God ‘in the beginning and ‘No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him’ (John 1:1 & 18). Lord Jesus being God and one with God the Father has further assured us of the truth of His Word. It is because of this fact that He could boldly declare, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (John 14:6). It is His oneness with the Father that is our guarantee of the surety of His Word.
After the visible lifting up of the Risen Saviour and then ‘a cloud received Him out of their (the disciples’) sight’, the coming of the Holy Spirit just 10 days after that was another sign of the truth of His promises (Acts 2:3-4). All of us are thereafter bestowed with the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide, teach and transform us. When we pray in line with His written Word, God has bound Himself to hear and answer the prayers, for then His very Name is glorified. However, many who pray in this way do not get the answer, for wavering of faith and underlying unbelief.
Our behaviour pattern for life in Lord Jesus’ name – On any road, especially, national highways, various road markings are put to help the travellers on that route to find their way and reach their destination with the least problem. The written Word of God provides us these signposts so that we can also move on the journey of our life without falling into the traps set by the forces of evil that want to trip us. King David was denied the permission to construct the Temple of God and he donated a large amount of wealth for the same and the leaders also offered willingly. David then prayed to the LORD and said, ‘we are sojourners and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow’ (1 Chronicles 29:15). Apostle Peter first declared the new identity of every believer in the Lord and then also accepted the temporary nature of our stay on the earth as pilgrims. A person who does not belong to a place needs a proper map or someone to guide on the right paths. We are here as ‘light of the world’ filled with the presence of the Lord and we reveal His glory to others to be their guideposts and light the lamp in their hearts and souls to lead them to Him and in the right ways (Matthew 5:14).
The role of the Son of God is not limited to His name Yehoshu, as He was incarnated as Man, to be the Saviour and Redeemer for as per Scripture He has other roles and Names. At His Second Coming, He will come to judge the world and wage war against the forces of evil gathered on the earth (Revelation 19:11-16). He is called ‘Faithful and True’ and ‘on His head were many crowns’ depicting various types of power and authority He has. Apostle John saw that, ‘He had a name written that no one knew except Himself’. Thus, He has some other traits and roles that we may never know. Further ‘His name is called the Word of God’ and out of His mouth goes a sharp edged sword to judge the nations. He spoke the universe into creation and He will speak to annihilate and judge the nations.
Lessons for us from His revelation – First, we must be careful about what we speak, for He is in us and what we speak will come to be. Also others judge us by our speech and our witness of the Lord will be affected before others through our speech. Second, Lord Jesus ‘lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me’ (John 11:41). He maintained a continuous dialogue with God the Father and was always sure of being heard and so must we. Third, He looked up not as an outward display of devotion but His testimony that the prayer was aimed only to the Father in heaven and none else. He looked away from things of the world and towards heaven and so must we. Four, the Father glorified the Son even when it pleased Him to bruise Him (Isaiah 53:10). There was the power of God working in His Son to crush Him and make Him suffer the agony of the cross but there was also the power to sustain Him to bear all that. We may also suffer tribulations in our life but the power of God the Father will always be there to help us for His grace is sufficient for every crisis that we may face (2 Corinthians 12:9). Five, Glorification of the Father is in fruit bearing and fruit bearing is about multiplication, propagation and production (John 15:8). The seed must fall in the earth and perish to multiply and we as followers of the Lord must be prepared to perish to self to reveal Him. John the Baptist taught His disciples, ‘He must increase but I must decrease’, and I must live my life in His way not mine.
This can only happen when, firstly, I know Him intimately and obey His commands. Second, I must forgive others as I have been forgiven. Third, I must love others as He has loved me like Himself and even more than Himself for He suffered for me. Four, to be like Him I must study, meditate upon and be a doer of His Word and regularly seek the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide me in this. Five, I must live a life of prayer just like our Lord was and spend much time in communion with the Father in heaven. We could then be sure of being heard and also understand fully what we are supposed to do in each and every situation.
Lord Jesus in His prayer highlighted an aspect of His being in oneness with the Father on one side and with the disciples on the other (John 17:23). And He also promised the life of abundance and to do what we pray for, was definitely not for material wealth and luxuries only but about glorification of the Father. Our life and prayers in Lord Jesus’ name must be about oneness with Him and like His birth was for the Father’s glory, so must also our life be. It is in this state that I decrease and He increases in my life and like Joseph’s conduct as a slave, in prison or everywhere else proved to others that ‘the LORD was with him’ and he succeeded in all that he did. Such successful life of glorifying the Son and The Father is a life in Lord Jesus that we are to live here and then eternal life in His presence.
When we live in surrender and obedience to the Name of our Lord Jesus, close doors are opened and obstacles removed from our paths. This blessing also brings in great responsibility for us to be a mirror for others to live a life of glorifying His name in all our words and deeds. When we walk in conformity with this, our life itself starts revealing the glory of the Saviour Lord for others to come and surrender to His authority and eternal life in Him. This requires deliberate efforts and only then does the Holy Spirit blesses and guides us to be able achieve this.
