00:00You know, most Christians have ended thousands of prayers with the same familiar words.
00:07In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:10You know, we say them after praying for healing, financial help, protection, a new job, a restored relationship, or an
00:20answer to a problem we just cannot solve.
00:23But what do those words actually mean?
00:29Many people have been taught to treat, in Jesus' name, as the required closing line of a Christian prayer.
00:38They say it at the end of almost anything at times.
00:41And it can sound like a spiritual password, like you're adding a phrase that guarantees that God must approve the
00:50request.
00:51And I'm going to be honest with you, friends, that's not what Jesus meant.
00:56Jesus said,
01:02Yet people have sincerely prayed in Jesus' name and still experience disappointment.
01:09The illness stayed.
01:11The relationship ended.
01:13The job went to someone else.
01:16The door stayed closed.
01:18And that does not mean they forgot the right words or lacked enough faith.
01:24You see, this isn't witchcraft.
01:27This is prayer.
01:28This is maintaining a relationship with your Father in Heaven.
01:33It means praying in Jesus' name is more than saying His name.
01:41You see, in the time of Jesus, a person's name represented identity, character, authority, and reputation.
01:51To act in someone's name meant you were representing that person.
01:57An ambassador cannot speak in the name of a country while saying whatever he personally wants.
02:03An employee cannot act on behalf of a company while ignoring what that company stands for.
02:11You see, in the same way, praying in Jesus' name means bringing our desires under the character, truth, purpose, and
02:22will of Jesus Christ.
02:24It's not asking Jesus to approve our plan.
02:30It's asking whether our prayer represents Him.
02:35A person can pray for revenge and finish with, in Jesus' name.
02:40But revenge does not represent Jesus.
02:44Someone can ask God to make them successful so they can prove everyone wrong.
02:50They may use the name of Jesus at the end of that prayer.
02:54But pride does not reflect the heart of Jesus.
02:59A person can ask God to bless a relationship while refusing to be honest, faithful, forgiving, or responsible.
03:08You see, saying the words does not automatically place the approval of Christ on every request.
03:16We can attach Jesus' name to a prayer without bringing Jesus' character into it.
03:25And you see, my friends, that there is the lesson.
03:29The important question is not simply,
03:32Did I say in Jesus' name?
03:34The important question is,
03:37Does what I am asking reflect Jesus?
03:41Jesus often look beyond people's words to examine their motives.
03:46He knew when someone appeared to ask an honest question, but was really trying to trap him.
03:53He recognized when people performed religious acts because they wanted attention.
03:59He saw the pride, the fear, the resentment, and the selfish hidden objectives beneath respectable language.
04:10He would examine our motives, too.
04:14You see, what do you, or why do you want what you're asking for?
04:20Are you asking for justice, or are you secretly hoping to see someone suffer?
04:27Are you asking God to help restore a relationship while refusing to admit your own part of the conflict?
04:34Are you asking for success because you want to serve people, or because you want to feel superior to them?
04:43Are you asking God to change everyone around you while resisting the changes he wants to make in you?
04:52These questions do not mean we should stop asking God for help.
04:57Jesus encouraged prayer.
04:59He welcomed desperate people.
05:02He responded to parents who pleaded for their children.
05:05He cared about the sick, the hungry, those with grief, fear, and ordinary needs.
05:14You can ask God for healing.
05:17You can pray for financial provision.
05:21You can ask for a job, a restored marriage, protection for your family, or relief from a painful situation.
05:29But God does not require us to pretend we do not care about the outcome.
05:36Praying in Jesus' name means we place the outcome in his hands.
05:42We tell him what we want while remaining willing to be corrected, redirected, or changed.
05:50That is where prayer becomes more than a request.
05:54You may begin by praying,
05:56Jesus, make this person admit that I was right.
06:00But as you pray honestly, his character may lead you toward a better request.
06:07Help me care more about healing than winning.
06:11And you may begin by saying,
06:15Remove this difficult person from my life.
06:18But Jesus may lead you to pray.
06:21Show me whether I need to forgive, establish a boundary, speak the truth, or change something in myself.
06:30You may ask,
06:33Give me this opportunity.
06:34But praying in his name also means being able to say,
06:39Do not give me anything that will pull me away from the person you are calling me to become.
06:47This is not a weaker prayer, my friends.
06:51It's a surrender prayer.
06:53And I want to remind you that praying in Jesus' name does not mean we are confident that Jesus will
07:00follow our instructions.
07:03It means we trust him enough to lead us,
07:06even when his answer does not match our plans.
07:11Sometimes the answer is yes.
07:14Sometimes it is no.
07:16Sometimes it's not yet.
07:18Sometimes God answers the prayer by changing the situation.
07:24Sometimes he answers by changing the person who is praying.
07:29The name of Jesus is not a tool for controlling the outcome.
07:34It is not leverage over God.
07:37It is not a guarantee that every desire will be fulfilled exactly as you requested.
07:45His name represents who he is.
07:47So, before you say in Jesus' name,
07:51consider what you are placing his name upon.
07:55Does this prayer reflect his love?
07:58Does it agree with his truth?
08:01Does it pursue mercy rather than revenge?
08:05Does it seek restoration rather than humiliation?
08:10Are you willing to accept his wisdom when it differs from your preference?
08:17You do not have to stop using the phrase.
08:20Those words can be meaningful and powerful,
08:24but they should never become empty.
08:27When you say in Jesus' name,
08:31you are saying,
08:50The power is not found in repeating a phrase correctly.
08:54Secondly, this is not witchcraft.
08:57The power is found in surrendering the prayer honestly.
09:02Saying the name of Jesus, well, that's easy.
09:07Praying in the name of Jesus means trusting his character,
09:12accepting his authority,
09:14and allowing his will to become greater than our own.
09:20It's kind of beautiful, isn't it?
09:23My name is Douglas Vandergraaf,
09:26and I believe in Jesus Christ.
09:29God bless every single one of you.
09:34Every single one.
09:39Bye-bye.
09:39Bye-bye.
09:40Bye-bye.
09:40Bye-bye.
09:40Bye-bye.
09:40Bye-bye.
09:41Bye-bye.
09:41Bye-bye.
09:42Bye-bye.
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