Conversations With God -5

Psalm 27 (TNIV)

 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—

   whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

   of whom shall I be afraid?

 2 When the wicked advance against me

   to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

   who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,

   my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

   even then I will be confident.

 4 One thing I ask from the LORD,

   this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

   all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

   and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

   he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

   and set me high upon a rock.

 6 Then my head will be exalted

   above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

   I will sing and make music to the LORD.

 7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;

   be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

   Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,

   do not turn your servant away in anger;

   you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

   God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

   the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, LORD;

   lead me in a straight path

   because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

   for false witnesses rise up against me,

   spouting malicious accusations.

 13 I remain confident of this:

   I will see the goodness of the LORD

   in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;

   be strong and take heart

   and wait for the LORD.

Asking in His NameYou have heard this text (and others like it) . . .  13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  (John 14)What is He talking about here?  Name it and claim it?  A special formula to attach at the end of a prayer so you can be sure to get what you want?  What is He getting at here? 

Few of the words of Jesus have been so misunderstood and misused as these.  The prosperity gospel.  The name it claim it theology of popular prayer seminars.  You can probably think of others.  But if this is not what Jesus was saying, then what was He getting at?  What does it mean to pray "in the name" of Jesus, and be confident of the response? 

A good first step toward understanding what Jesus is saying is understanding the significance of doing something in someone's name.  In scripture, a person's name is much more than a label applied to them, and much more a representation of who they are as a person.  To do something in someone's name is to do something in a way that reflects who that person is at the very core.  Praying in the name of Jesus is not a formula that guarantees the outcome you want, but praying in a way that reflects the character of Jesus.  When we decide to put what matters most to God ahead of what matters most to us, is what it means to pray "in the name" of Jesus.  Far from a formula to claim, it is an attitude to assume, a way of life to reflect.

In order to pray in Jesus' name, sometimes we have to let go of what we do in our own.  Throughout Biblical times as well as the 2,000 years that have followed, followers of God have set aside regular and intentional times to do this - to set aside their own agendas and pray - which is the way, not that we ask for our agendas to be accomplished, but for us to come into harmony with God's agenda as we "pray in His name."  This has taken many different shapes and forms over the years, but the purpose in the same.  Among these are scheduling special protected times for prayer, or using well thought out prayers or scripture to guide our thoughts (like the Psalm to the right), and/or taking our time to reflect and savor what we are saying.  Prayer is not about getting God to do things for us, but taking time to connect with Him, listen to Him, let Him reshape who we are and what we are about.  It is about spending enough time with God to allow God to change us, not for us to change Him. 

What it means to pray in the name of Jesus, as well as simple things we can do to help us do this, is what Pastor Jon explores in the sermon in the final segment of his series on prayer.  If you would like to listen to the sermon again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library by clicking here.

An opportunity to allow music and scripture to shape your prayering . . .