“And I will do whatever you ask in My Name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You many ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14
“Whatever” we ask? “Anything” we ask? Well, notice what both requests include, that they are asked in the “Name” of Jesus. To ask in Jesus’ Name is to ask according to His will and nature. There are many things we might ask of the Lord, but they may not be requests that are in line with what God desires or that which is in accord with His nature. This verse emphasizes the importance and power that the Name of Jesus, the Name of God holds. There is strength in God’s Name. This is why the 2nd Commandment exhorts us to keep God’s Name holy and as the Explanation of the Commandment states, we should “Call upon (God’s Name) in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks.” To bring our petitions to God means to first pray that they are in agreement with His will and Who He is. For this reason we need to be more and more aware of God and His holy desires.
It is through Jesus that we approach the Father. As I Timothy 2:5 states, “There is One God, and there is One Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus.” To pray “In Jesus Name” or “For Jesus Sake” is to approach God through the righteousness and forgiveness that Jesus won for us through His sacrifice on the cross. Only because of the work of Jesus can we approach an all-holy God even as we are fallen sinners. When we do so, we are stating that our requests are in accordance with the will of Jesus which is always the same as the will of the Father.
The most appropriate way to bring our petitions before God is to first pray that our requests are what Jesus wants and represent Who He is. Prayer is not first and foremost about telling God what we want, for He already knows. Prayer is about us finding more and more about what God wants, what His will is for us, and Who He is according to His nature. When we do so, we can be assured that He will give us “whatever” and “anything” we ask. In the Name of Jesus! Amen!
Know that you are loved!
Peace and Joy,
Pastor Kilian