What's in a Name?

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
  - John 14:14

I have been mulling over how to approach prayer as a topic, which is probably good since prayer is something that should be mulled over much more often than it is.  Prayer is one of our links to the Creator who allows us to call Him "Father".  It is not the only link, but it is a very important one and should receive more attention than we generally give it.

Recently, I heard someone say that they no longer believed in God because He did not answer a prayer in the way they wanted.  This is not the first time I've heard this, and so I began really thinking about prayer and our expectations. The people I've talked to believed that God did not care for them because they prayed for something and the result did not come out the way they wanted.  They used the above verse as proof that God does not keep His word.  My guess is that more than a few shaky walks have crumbled because a prayer was not answered.  If God isn't going to give us what we want why should we even bother?

I want to take a different look at this verse because I see a great deal of promise in it, but also a much larger challenge.  The first is to look at the verses leading up to this one:

Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
  - John 14:9-14

When we pray, are we doing the work of the Father, or are we praying for our own gain?  Do we demonstrate our faith in Jesus by doing what he did on earth, or are we working the angles so that the final outcome is our comfort and happiness?  What does it even look like to pray like a true follower of Christ?

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
  - James 4:3

In my own walk, I've found that I have a difficult time turning away from my wants.  I live in the prism of me, so my entire perception of the world is skewed to the single viewpoint through which I view it.  From this vantage point it makes perfect sense that my prayers should be directed back toward my own happiness.  However, this is not the example set by Jesus.  Jesus placed others first, and above all, he submitted himself to the Father's will.

Do you think Jesus the man wanted to die the way he did?  He knew what was coming (he even asked that the cup be taken from him) yet he submitted to the Father's will and paid the horrific price for our freedom.  Even as he was being suffocated on the cross his prayer was for those around him.

Contrast that to your prayer life.  Are you submitting yourself to the Father's will?  Are you seeking His guidance for your life?  Or are you, like I usually am, treating God like a haloed-Santa in the sky?  Do you spend time talking with God, listening to Him, and striving to be more like Him, or do you swing your spirit into the Drive-Through of Soul just long enough to toss out your order before you go back to life?

 

 

 

There has been one time in my life when I prayed fully in the Spirit and knew without a doubt that my prayer would be answered.  There was something different about the prayer, and about my spirit in that moment: in that moment I felt a peace and power that I did not understand; it was greater, deeper, and more peaceful than anything I'd imagined possible.  But, as soon as the moment was gone I congratulated myself on the prayer.  I allowed myself to become proud of how holy I was for that second in time.  I turned the prism back on to me and my focus moved away from God.

When Jesus taught us to pray he gave us what we now call the Lord's prayer.

Our Father, who is in Heaven; Holy is your name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day, our daily bread (physical and spiritual), and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the Power, Yours is the Glory - Forever.

Look at the structure of this prayer - who did Jesus place first?  Who's will did he place first?  Did he ask for comfort and blessings?  No, he asked for daily bread and then forgiveness.  He directed his prayer to the glory of the Father.  He turned away from himself and gave glory where glory was due.

How much more impactful would your prayer walk be if you stopped worrying about yourself and gave that time to worshiping God?  Isn't that what we are hoping for at the end of all things: the chance to be in the presence of God and sing his praises?

My prayer is that each of us turn our gaze away from ourselves, and instead turn it to the one worthy of all praise.  I am confident that if we spent our energy worshiping Him, asking for His guidance, and praying for His will, our prayers would be much more impactful in this world in need of Him.

I am going to close today's post with another quote from my favorite author, Mr. C.S. Lewis.  This quote has challenged my perception of Jesus more than any other because it is so simple, yet so profound.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”  

We want Jesus to be a tame lion, we want God to be safe, we want a kitten where we have a lion.  We want Him to answer our prayer because we say it is in Jesus name, but we do not really pray in his name - we only use it as a bargaining chip. 

Jesus is not safe, he is not tame, he is not to be used as a bargaining chip, he did not come here and die so you could use him as a genie.  God spoke and there was light.  God does not cater to us.  He is entirely complete without you and without me.

But he is good.  He is the King.  Seek and you shall find, ask and the door shall be opened to you.  If we direct our attention to Him, our prayers will no longer look toward our own comforts.  Instead of our own wills, we will seek that His will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.  Once we move beyond praying for selfish reasons; we will begin to enter into the prayer that He has for us.  Then we will begin to understand what he meant when he said:

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.