The Power in The Name of Jesus

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In My Name

- by Dan W. Dooley

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In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:23-24 NIV

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
John 16:23 KJV

And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name.
John 16:23 ASV

And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. John 16:23-24 NAS

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.
John 16:23-24 RSV

At that time you won't need to ask me for anything, for you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will give you what you ask for because you use my name. You haven't tried this before, [but begin now]. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and your cup of joy will overflow. John 16:23-24 TLB

Yesterday, I was reading and came across this passage. Actually there is nothing new or unfamiliar about the passage or the statement contained therein, for we have learned to pray asking in the name of Jesus, and almost do it as a matter of course now. We would hardly presume to pray otherwise.

This time, something stopped me after I had read it and caused me to look at it again. Maybe I've been missing something. Oh no, each prayer I bring before the Lord is with a conscious and meaningful "I ask…… in the name of Jesus….." I am, as The Living Bible points out, and the others imply, "using" the name of Jesus in my prayers. I am naming those prayers in His Name. I am praying just as Jesus instructed me to do. And, believing in His promise that He has given me the authority to do so.

But if that is the meat of the matter, why did the Holy Spirit check me? No, He didn't give me a ready answer, but said in essence, "have another look at that and see if it means what you think it means."

Now you may look at the passages listed above and say, "ah hah! There is a difference." Well actually there is. There are two ways it is being said. One is, to paraphrase, "If you ask anything of the father, using my name as you are claiming on the authority of my name, by praying 'in the name of Jesus' or 'on the authority of the name of Jesus' then the Father will give it to you."

The other way says, "If you ask anything of the Father, My Father will give it to you. He will give it to you in My name." That says nothing about "using" the name of Jesus in my prayers. Of course it's not telling me NOT to use the name of Jesus in my prayer request to Him.

Truthfully, I did not know what He was trying to tell me but I pondered the thought through much of the day. He was trying to tell me that there is more to the process of prayer answering than my simply using a phrase, no matter how sincere and meaningful. I think He was trying to tell me that prayers are answered not because I insert the name in the prayer. Or even that I am in full conviction of spirit praying my claim of rightful relationship and as His "agent", in a sense. That is in the sense that one delivers a message from one party to another. Or that a diplomat "represents" the claims of his nation or leader to another. As a great example, in Shakespeare's Henry V, the representative of the king of England presents himself to the King of France.

French King: From our brother of England?

Exeter: From him, and thus he greets your majesty:

I have full authority to speak to the King because of my relationship to Jesus, and He has given me right and permission to use His name, just as the Duke of Exeter had the right to speak for Harry the king owing to his relationship to the king in title, commission, and blood, as his uncle.

What a difference a comma can make. It was this morning as I started to study the question a little further that I noticed something different in the various renderings of the passage. Another perspective was brought to mind. That is, it is not so much that we are heard because of our claiming in prayer the Name, but that it is because of the Name that the Father answers. Some of the renderings show that. "I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name." from the NAS, for example. The difference does not make any rendering more correct or less correct, for in essence they are all saying the same thing. That is if we recognize what we are doing when we use the name of Jesus in our prayers.

It is not because of our use of the Name - though it is proper and honorable for us to use the Name in our prayers - but it is because of what and who that Name is. It is the Father honoring the Name. It is for His benefit and glory that the Father honors the name.

"Whatever you ask, The Father gives it to you in My Name."

In passages such as "In My name you shall…." can be understood as "because of (the power in) My name you shall…."

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, Phil 2:9 NKJV

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Dan W. Dooley is husband, father, grandfather, and creator and owner of Dooley's Treasure Chest and Treasure Chest Ministries. He is an ordained minister in affiliation with United Christian Faith Ministries (UCFM).