John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Here in this passage, The Lord makes a profound promise to all His followers, by stating unequivocally that whatsoever we ask "in His name" He will grant it unto us. The immediate logical question that comes to mind is, what does "in His name mean". The correct answer to this question is the key to unlocking the storehouse of God's promises, for he certainly promises, not only to hear but also to grant the desired petition. Now folks, this is no light matter, and demands a thorough explanation, for the answers to our prayers hang on a correct understanding and implementation of this important point.
To begin, there are certain facts we should acknowledge, to which the applicable scriptures would be appendaged.
(1 ) Adding the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer does not necessarily mean that the request was made in His name. .... [ John16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full] .This statement was made after many requests were made directly to Christ by His disciples. For example:
Matthew 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Even though the request was made directly to Christ, by His answer, it is apparent that it was not made "in His name".
(2) If we are deliberately and knowingly living in blatant violation of God's law, or any of His precepts, prayer requests cannot be made "in His name". The bible makes this point abundantly clear. Let's read: Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
In other words, we must be walking in obedience to what we know from the Bible to be right, and if not, then repentance is the first necessary step before we can ask "in His name".
(3) We cannot sincerely invoke God's blessing on something He has expressly forbidden, nor should we ask something He has never promised. This attitude can actually bring down a curse instead of a blessing, so it is a point we should be very cognizant of. Let's read:
Acts 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Again the scriptures re-iterate the instruction that we should not ask God's blessing on something He has forbidden, nor His sanction of a course of action that's contrary to the principles of righteousness. Let's read:
Genesis 27:6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
Even way back then, Jacob and the other patriarchs understood this point, and so should we.
(4) Asking for something with the intent of fulfilling the carnal desires of the flesh, prevents the request from being "in His name". Here's the scripture to support this point:
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Question: So what does asking "in His name" really mean.
Answer: It means that we surrender ourselves totally to God to the best of our knowledge; it means not living in conscious disobedience to His laws; it means asking according to His will and according to what He has promised; and it also means not asking for merely selfish, carnal purposes, but that God's good will for us may be done. A good example of what we are referring to can be found in an early experience of Solomon. Let's read, for the bible is its own interpreter and always explains itself if we read "line upon line".
1st kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
Friends, these verses of holy writ show in unmistakeable terms, that God is more than willing and able to do abundantly more than we can ask or think. It behooves us then to follow the scriptural guidelines for answered prayer, and if we do God has promised to grant every request that is made "in His name". GOd bless!