Asking in His Name

Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
—John 16:24 

Before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Old Testament saints didn’t have a Savior. They didn’t have the name of Jesus. In a sense, when they asked God for something they were asking in their own names. They appealed to His mercy in the sacrifices that covered their sins, but there was no real atonement. 

When Jesus died, He provided the real atonement that all the Old Testament sacrifices represented. He became our Savior, and now we can do much more than approach God in our names or based on our own works. We can ask and receive from the Lord in Jesus’ name based on His perfect finished work for our sins.

There is a huge difference between approaching the Lord in the Spirit and approaching Him in the flesh. By using the name of Jesus, we are asserting that Jesus’ righteousness is the factor that makes us worthy of receiving from God. It means we are depending on the grace of God and not our performance. Those who ask but believe God responds to them based on what they do are actually misusing the name of the Lord. They are asking and using His name in vain. It doesn’t matter if they end every prayer with “in Jesus’ name.” If they aren’t standing in the grace of God, they are not using the name of Jesus correctly.

This instruction to pray in His name was given to the disciples the night before He was crucified. While Jesus was on this earth, the disciples asked Him for whatever they needed, and Jesus would ask the Father and get it for them. Here Jesus was saying that they should not ask Him anymore, but they should take their requests directly to the Father, asking in His name. 

Asking in the name of Jesus means that God treats our requests with the same reverence and consideration as He would if Jesus were personally making the request. Consequently, we can anticipate receiving the same treatment from God as Jesus would receive. However, those who pray in the name of Jesus but then harbor doubts about God’s response due to their unworthiness are essentially misusing the name of Jesus. However, the individual who truly prays in Jesus’ name understands that it is Jesus’ holiness that God judges, not their own.

“Ask in my name and receive that your joy may be full,” Jesus said. 

 

It’s not what you receive in this life that brings complete joy. It’s knowing that your Father, God, loves you, died for you, rose again in power for you, and is now alive, giving you new life. He has forgiven all your sins and healed all your diseases. In the rich inheritance you have in Christ, there’s provision for every need. You’ve received His finished work, not a partial one, but a complete one that has all the power to absolutely transform your life. When you abide in Jesus, you ask in His name. When you ask in faith, Jesus transforms you and your earthly experience into His perfect experience. Praying in Jesus’ name for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven is life-changing. You’re praying for His will in you, in the lives of others, in need, in health, and in all things to be as it is in heaven. You receive from the Lord who transforms you, spirit, soul, and body, into the image He created, restoring you to His original intent. This is the fullest joy.

The blessings of Jesus’ finished work is not something to be earned; it is something that is inherent in your relationship with Him and manifests in fellowship with Him. Abiding is not a one-time thing. It is ongoing fellowship with the Father all the days of your life. If you continually seek Him, you will be abiding in His Presence. 

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 14:13; 16:24).