What it really means to pray in Jesus' name

An often misunderstood saying of Jesus is "whatever you ask in my name, I will do it". To many, this sounds like quite the special promise. Jesus will do anything I ask in His name? So, all I have to do is say "in Jesus' name", and I'll get what I ask for?

We can rather easily put this genie back in its bottle just by praying something really really stupid, like "dear Lord, please turn me into a pineapple for 20 seconds, in Jesus' name I pray, amen". Obviously, even if it's a relatively inconsequential thing, God isn't going to answer that prayer. So what kind of prayer is it that Jesus answers? What does it really mean to pray in Jesus' name?

As it happens, we still use the phrase "in your name" today. "A donation has been made in your name to X charity", and things like that. When we use the phrase "in your name", we usually mean something like "on your behalf". Thus, when we pray in Jesus' name, we are actually praying, or at least attempting to pray, in accordance with His authority.

But obviously, to receive His authority, a prayer must also be in accordance with His will. Jesus, you see, is the Master in this relationship. He is not the slave. Thus, like any master, He has the right to say "no". And to help us figure this out, He clarifies that the reason He does what we ask in His name is "that the Father may be glorified in the Son". Well ok, now we have a goal in mind. If our prayers do not work towards the glory of God, we can say a thousand variations of "in Jesus' name" throughout the prayer, that prayer will fail. Even if we ask for a good thing, Jesus might not necessarily answer if we ask, because it doesn't glorify God, or because there is a better way to do so.

Jesus gives us precedent for this, too. In Luke 11:9-13, we read "“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”"

God listens to both His children's requests, and more importantly to their needs. God knows what He's doing, and is far wiser than we are. A child doesn't always know what they should ask their parents for. If your child asks for an egg, you might well give them that egg, but wouldn't you want to make sure it's a fresh one? And your child might beg you not to take them to the doctor or dentist, but you know full well why they must endure those trips.

Ultimately, God knows which prayers to answer, and how to answer them, but it is our responsibility to make sure we pray prayers He would actually want to answer. Prayers that glorify God will always receive an answer. Prayers that don't? Bad news: God is no genie. Therefore, when you pray in Jesus' name, make sure it is in Jesus' name, and not in your own.