In Jesus' name...

Many of us were taught to pray and to close our prayers with the phrase "in Jesus' name." Unfortunately, we weren't taught what that actually means, and so it ends up sounding like magic words. And then we wind up wondering why he won't answer our prayers sometimes.

So what's it mean to pray "in Jesus' name?"

The short answer is this: "in Jesus' name" means to pray in union with Christ, and there are 2 facets of that.

First, it means praying with Jesus as our representative. We have no right to enter God's throne room in prayer without fearing condemnation unless Jesus suffered punishment in our place. Thus, praying in Jesus' name means that we are relying on his death and resurrection for acquittal in God's law court. (See Hebrews 4:14-16.)

Second, it means praying to represent Jesus. In other words, saying "in Jesus' name" is like saying, "I ask these things in so much as they represent Jesus' sovereign will." Or in other words, it's like saying "if it's your will, please do this." (See 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 and 1 John 5:14-15.)

These truths should help how we pray. Note that we can't go to God except through the blood of Jesus. We need to depend. We need to recognize that we are sinners approaching a holy God. We need to see his love for us in permitting us to approach him.

We also need to see that prayer is for God. It is an act of worship. It is a means of God doing what he wants - not us getting what we want - unless it's what God wants. It is an act of submission.

That should guide how we pray and for what we pray.