[04ctd]

Intentional Prayer


Jesus speaking: ÔÇ£Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.ÔÇØ John 14.13

This passage tells us two very important features of how God's kingdom works. The first is the incredible promise of Jesus that He will do whatever we ask in to His name that is according to His will, His purposes, His ways, and His character. This amazing promise significantly affects how we pray, and drives us to deeper listening prayer and examination of Scripture to determine what Jesus wants to do.

It is an awesome thing to pray in JesusÔÇÖ name. In John 14:26, Jesus says "but the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things...ÔÇØ The phrase "in My name" is the same in both passages. What Jesus is telling us in John 14:13 might be paraphrased as follows: "Whatever you ask representing Me just as the Holy Spirit does, asking according to My will, My purposes, My ways, and My character, that I will do". To pray in JesusÔÇÖ name is to represent Christ. In the same way that an officer of a company represents the CEO or the Board of Directors, so we represent Christ when we pray in His name.

This places a significant responsibility on us to not pray frivolously. If I am to pray in JesusÔÇÖ name, then I need to know what Jesus wants to do. I need to understand what His will is in the matter. I need to study the Scriptures to know His purposes, His ways, and His character. I need to examine my prayer journal to know what He has said about particular issues in the past; what does He want to do with my life or the company He has hired me to manage? What Scripture has He emphasized previously that might relate to the issue at hand?

When I am reasonably confident that I can represent Christ's interests on earth just as the Holy Spirit does, then I can go before Him and pray in JesusÔÇÖ name. And He has promised He will do it. I will probably need to be persistent in asking (Luke 11.5-13), but I need not doubt, and must not doubt, that what I have asked will be provided. Jesus promised, and it is as good as done.

This is why it is critically important to spend time in the Scriptures and spend time in prayer in developing a strategic faith plan. We truly enter into a partnership with Christ, wherein Jesus is accomplishing His purposes for our lives through us. Prayer is the tool that Jesus uses to accomplish the development of the business He has hired us to run. We need to pray thoughtfully and with integrity, and hence with power, and watch God do far more than we can imagine through us and in us.