“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,” promised Jesus. And ever since that day, his followers have prayed in his name. Parents teach their children, pastors teach their parishioners, evangelists teach their new converts to close their prayers with the familiar words, “In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
But familiarity has its ways of breeding contempt, even in a task as sacred as prayer. And so it is wise for us, from time to time, to revisit even the simplest and most well-used phrases so we can remind ourselves of their importance and consider once again their sheer wonder. For we must know and must remember that it is no small thing, no small honor, no small privilege, to pray in the name of Jesus.
When we say, “In Jesus’ name,” we invoke the second person of the Trinity, the God who existed from before all time, the God who was present and active at creation, the God through whom all things were created and without whom nothing was made that has been made.
When we say, “In Jesus’ name,” we speak in the name of the one of whom all the scriptures speak,
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
