JOHN 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
The Bible should never be covered in vagaries, nor should it be interpreted in a manner that could mean several different things, without any specific answer. It is true that there are parables and prophecies which contain symbolisms, yet even these can be explained using the scriptural method of interpretation, namely “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little”. But there are also very plain statements of holy writ that can be clearly understood if we study with an attitude to do God’s will.
This past week we expounded briefly on the above passage of scripture, but now we are going to expand much more on what the text means and how we can thus apply the knowledge to our walk with The Lord. Let us therefore recap briefly a few points that were made before proceeding.
Point (1) Adding the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer request does not necessarily mean that the request was made “in His name”.
Point (2) If we are deliberately living in violation of God’s law or any of His precepts, prayer requests cannot be made “in His name” until genuine confession and repentance have taken place.
Point (3) We cannot in good conscience invoke God’s blessing on something He has expressly forbidden, nor should we ask something He has never promised, for doing so can result in a curse instead of a blessing.
Point (4) Asking something with the intent of fulfilling the carnal desires of our hearts, prevents the request from being made “in His name”.
We will now proceed to an expanded explanation of
John 14: 13 And it reads:
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Let’s take a long, hard look at the word “whatsoever”. This word refers to anything we can think of and more, meaning that there is absolutely no limit on anything we can ask of God. In other words, if we can think it, then God can do it, and if we cannot think it, God can do even more, this according to the scriptures. Let’s read:
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
3:21 Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
We often become timid or apprehensive in making requests to the Lord for fear that our request might be too large or too audacious, or even too bold for the Lord to even consider. However, this should never be the case according to the following texts.
Let’s read:
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Let’s be very careful with that word “boldly”. Boldly does not mean irreverently, disrespectfully or with an attitude of presumption. Simply put, it means to come confidently.
The other text we are going to use reiterates the
Same point, by affirming the way we should
approach God in making requests. Let’s read:
Phillipians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
These two texts taken together, enjoin upon us the privilege of asking anything, no matter how large or how small, once it is done “in His name”. A striking example of what is being referred to here can be found in the experience of Elisha, when he was surrounded by a large army, that was bent on executing him.
In his distress he made a very startling request of God and got an immediate answer to his prayer. He asked the Lord to make the entire army blind so that he would be invisible to them. This request would seem to be crazy, by any stretch of the imagination, but Elisha did it “in His name. The request was obviously made “in His name” for as soon as it was made, every soldier went blind, so that the same Elisha that was cornered and about to be executed, was the very one to lead them on to have dinner. Let’s read:
2nd kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 6:19 And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
The other truth contained in John 14:13, that we are going to focus on is what happens when we pray “in Jesus’ name”. Let’s read it again:
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Note well that the Lord did not merely say that He will answer. To give us an answer is one thing, but to actually grant us what we specifically asked for is another. Here the Lord states explicitly that He will do it. The caveat then seems to be “in His name”.
When a person applies to Bank of America for a mortgage of $350,000.00 to purchase a home, they do not want a mere answer per se, for an answer could go either which way, “yes” or “no”. What they are looking for is an answer that would grant the request of $350,000.00 so that their needs could be supplied. And what does Bank of America then do? It thoroughly checks out the person’s application to see if the pre-requisites are all in place, and once it is determined that the conditions were fulfilled, then they cut a check for $350,000.00. It’s that simple.
On a much grander scale are the promises of God to us in answering our prayers. Any prayer that is made “in Jesus’ name” will receive an answer in the affirmative, commensurate with the pertinent request. That is what the Bible states unequivocally, and that is what it means and nothing else. Let’s read, for the word of God sheds tremendous light on this very important subject:
Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
And then Christ gives a few practical examples:
Matthew 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Again, the same truth is emphasized by the Apostle James. Let’s read:
James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
The apostle John also understood and adopted this very crucial truth that’s so critically important to the Christian, living in a world that is not favorable to the truths and principles of God’s kingdom. We all know brethren, that the Bible states that in the last days there would be scoffers who would ridicule and make fun of those who trust in the Living God. Whenever efforts are made to introduce the truths of God’s word, there will always be those that doubt, and so the Lord has given us mighty promises to live by, so that our faith in the living God may be confirmed. That’s why we must have confidence when we pray”Let’s read:
John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
For instance, when Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, publicly predicted that Ananias would drop dead for having lied to God; if some other answer or result had occurred, the credibility and viability of the gospel would have been seriously damaged, perhaps irreparably. If after such a specific prophecy, in Jesus’ name, Sapphira stood there laughing, and blowing bubble gums in Peter’s face, onlookers would have seriously questioned the credibility of the truth. And that’s why God came through in a marked manner so that allwho were wavering, and those who were “playing church” began to tremble and fear for their own lives. Let’s read, for He will do it again:
Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 5:2 And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid [it], at the apostles' feet. 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land?
5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him].
5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband [are] at the door, and shall carry thee out. 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying [her] forth, buried [her] by her husband. 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
So then, the ultimate, burning question remains: what does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”?
Answer: It means that we first surrender ourselves totally to God to the best of our knowledge; it means not living in conscious disobedience to His laws; It means asking according to his will and according to what He has promised; and it also means not asking for merely selfish, carnal purposes, but that God’s will for us may be done.
If by the grace of God, we were to start praying as it is our privilege to do; if through the correct understanding of this truth, we were to make our requests known unto God; then an entirely new day would dawn in our hearts, and The Sun of righteousness would arise with healing in His wings; not only for ourselves, but also for those whom we are laboring for. Very many sons and daughters would be born into God’s kingdom, and Christ could finish up the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary.
We hope and pray that this would be our experience from day to day, and from now on, because it may very well be, that the vast resources of the storehouse of heaven remain untapped because we do not pray “in His name”. May God bless the reading and study of His word. God bless!