John 16:23-24 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. (24) Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
In this section we want to discuss the importance of using the name of Jesus when we pray the prayer of faith. In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord Jesus was very emphatic about who we must ask when we pray the prayer of faith, for He said “in that day you will ask Me nothing”. The day that our Lord was referring to is the day that we are living in now. Our Lord then went on in this passage to teach us who we must ask, for He said that we are to ask the Father. Nevertheless Jesus added a condition, which is that we are to ask our Father in the name of Jesus. In other words we are to use the name of Jesus when we make our requests known to God. In this passage our Lord is very emphatic about the outcome of such a request, for He said that God will (not might) give us our request, that our joy may be full.
John 14:13-14 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord gives us a bit more insight into the use of His name; for He says that when we ask the Father in the name of Jesus, that it is in fact Jesus Himself who will perform that which we ask. Nevertheless I want you to notice that even though it is Jesus who performs that which we ask for, we still do not ask Jesus, but rather we are to ask the Father in His name. This passage of scripture has a twofold meaning; on the one hand it refers to our petitions that we make known to God, but on the other hand it refers to the saint’s use of the name of Jesus in commanding a specific outcome in the earth. To use the name of Jesus to command an outcome in the earth also falls into the same category as asking in the name of Jesus, which is why we lay hands on the sick using the name of Jesus to heal them (Mark 16:17-18).
Acts 3:4-8 “And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." (5) So, he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. (6) Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." (7) And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. (8) So, he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.”
The above quoted example shows us how using the name of Jesus to command a specific outcome, works. In context, Peter and John were outside the temple walking past a crippled beggar who had asked them for money. Peter had no money to give the crippled man, but instead he commanded the man to be healed using the name of Jesus. The moment Peter did that, our Lord Jesus did what He said He would, i.e. Jesus healed the man. The name of Jesus is the most powerful name in all of God’s creation and Jesus Himself backs the use of His name. And so we see that all believers are encouraged by the Lord Jesus to use His name, both in our petitions to the Father and also in commanding specific outcomes to take place in the earth.
Michael E.B. Maher
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