You Stand In Jesus’ Stead
Praying in the Name of Jesus means you’re standing in the place of Jesus.
When you pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus, it’s as though Jesus Himself were praying.
Jesus has delegated His authority to you; the same authority He had on earth.
As Christians, we don’t need an intermediary between us and the Father. Hence we don’t pray to the Father through Jesus, but in the Name of Jesus. To pray through Jesus is to make Him our medium or intermediary to the Father, and that’s wrong. But to pray in the Name of Jesus means you’re standing in the place of Jesus; you’ve become His voice! The Bible teaches in the book ofJohn 16:23:
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.”
All through the Scriptures, there’s no place where the Christian is asked to pray to Jesus or through Jesus. Neither do you ask the Father to grant your request for “Jesus’ sake,” for God wouldn’t answer your prayers for Jesus’ sake. He loves you as much as He loves Jesus. So when you pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus, it’s as though Jesus Himself were praying, because you stand in His stead.
InPhilippians 2:9, the Holy Spirit reveals to us through the Apostle Paul that:
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him (Jesus), and given him a name which is above every name.”
In other words, the Name of Jesus is the biggest Name in heaven. So whatever you ask the Father in the Name of Jesus is granted you because of the authority of JESUS—the One in whose Name you’re asking! Jesus gave us the legal right to use His Name. Not having the right understanding of how to use that Name will make your prayer life ineffective. We have the right of attorney to function in His stead, the same way a delegated member of a president’s cabinet can represent him at a state function.
So, every time you pray to the Father, in the Name of Jesus, be conscious that you’re praying in Jesus’ stead; therefore, whatsoever you ask the Father in His Name, He will give it to you. Jesus has delegated His authority to you; the same authority He had on earth. So today, you can request anything in His Name, and it will be granted you.
