Will Praying in the Name of Jesus Get You What You Want?

Tom: You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a program in which we encourage everyone who desires to know God’s truth to look to God’s Word for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to him.

Prayer has been our topic for the last few weeks, and as we have been saying, for those who truly know the Lord, there isn’t a more important part of your walk with Him than your prayer life. What do you think, Dave?

Dave: “Nothing more important than your prayer life.” People may have a particular idea about prayer; it doesn’t fit with what you mean. If you mean talking with the Lord all the time, that’s prayer.

Tom: That’s part of it, and there’s a lot more to it than that.

Dave: But some people might say, “Oh, prayer life is important, okay. I’m just going to be begging God all day long,” and that’s not what you mean.

Tom: Well, if they have gotten that impression, I would recommend going back over our last three or four programs, because we’ve covered a lot of area here.

Dave: Well, I am talking about people who may not have been listening, Tom.

Tom: Yes.

Dave: We have new listeners every time, we hope.

Tom: Right. Let me start with a question regarding prayer. Jesus said, “If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John:14:14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
See All...). I’ve heard thousands of prayers that were offered in reliance upon that promise, “in the name of Jesus,” or even “in the mighty name of Jesus”—sincere prayers from simple people that were never answered. Wouldn’t these many unanswered prayers offered “in the name of Jesus” prove that Christ doesn’t or can’t keep His word? Now, for a new listener, where did this question come from?

Dave: Well, I can’t recall where it came from. But I have files. This could have been someone writing to me, it could have been a Q & A after I speak somewhere.

Tom: And you have them listed in your book In Defense of the Faith, and we have been going through that for months and months and months.

Dave: Right. The whole book is based upon questions. Some of them from atheists, agnostics, people attacking the Bible. I have files of that also.

Tom: So, “in the name of Jesus.”

Dave: Yes, Tom, it is a logical question. But we have to be very careful. I often have said to—sometimes I have said it to pastors. I’ve been at churches sometimes where not only do they pray for the sick (we do that in our little fellowship), someone has a need, the elders lay hands on them and ask the Lord in his mercy and grace. But then there are churches where they command the Lord “in the name of Jesus: sickness, go!” and it doesn’t go or whatever. It is one thing to ask, “Why didn’t the Lord answer our prayers?” It’s another thing if a teenager, let’s say, has grown up in this church and he has heard this over and over and over.

Tom: Well, Dave, you think of the evangelists on TV and that’s commonality, it’s not just an exception.

Dave: I think that’s going to turn people off. You keep saying the name of Jesus, “the mighty name of Jesus: sickness, go,” or whatever, and it doesn’t happen. Well, we’ve talked a bit about that. Maybe it’s not God’s will for that sickness to go. Then by what authority do you make this command?

You can only command what you know is God’s will and what God wants to do the way He wants to do it, in the time He wants to do it. You would have to really be in touch with the Lord, say, like Elijah on Mt. Carmel. I mean, he wasn’t just hoping. He knew that God was going to send fire down from heaven to consume this sacrifice on the altar, and even all the water and the ditch around it and so forth. He wasn’t there hoping. Wouldn’t that have been a great demonstration to Israel if Elijah commands the fire to come down from heaven and it didn’t come down? But listen to what Elijah said: “He said, O God let it be known that I am your servant and that I have done this according to your Word.” He had absolute confidence that it was going to happen.

But I am afraid that an awful lot of people who you mentioned, TV evangelists and so forth, and pastors—I’ve seen it. They are making commands in the name of Jesus that they don’t have any authority of the Word of God to do this.

Tom: But, Dave, as you said, it looks like it. Even their voice, their dynamics, their animation when they do it, you would say, “Hey, they are the guys who are in charge.”

Dave: Yes, exactly. So when Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it,” what does that mean? Some people—many people think, I guess, that all you have to do is name the name of Jesus. Just tack in the name of Jesus on your prayer. Ask anything you want. Ask for the moon; ask for a new Rolls Royce, or whatever. Whatever you want to ask for. “Lord, let some money drop from heaven into my lap.”

Tom: But it’s got to have His name attached to it.

Dave: And then if I just say “in the name of Jesus,” it’s going to happen.

Tom: Amen.

Dave: That obviously is not what it means, but that would be the impression you would get from many people. I mean, they are trying to use the name of Jesus like a magic password.

Tom: An incantation.

Dave: Yes, well, what would it really mean? I mean, how can I say “in the name of Jesus” if it isn’t what He would say and do? And if I do not have his authority behind it…

I think maybe, Tom, it’s months ago we gave the illustration, but when I was in the business world, well, I guess I was sort of the alter-ego for a multi-millionaire there in Beverly Hills. I had power of attorney. I could have written out a check for a $100,000 to me, signed his name, put it in my bank account. There were documents, powers of attorney filed in various counties and states, and on the power of attorney itself, there was no limitation. It didn’t limit me at all. However, the whole idea was that I’m signing his name to his benefit, not to mine, and he could have taken me to a court of equity and they would have reversed this thing, because it’s understood in the power of attorney, even though it doesn’t say so explicitly. I had the power of attorney to use his name for his benefit. Now, when you use the name of Jesus—how can I use the name of Jesus for my benefit? How could I just try to get what I want and then throw in the name of Jesus? No! It means that His name is graven on my heart, that I am His servant—that I am acting in His place as His representative for His purposes, for His will, for His glory.

Tom: Yes, under His authority.

Dave: That’s right. So how could I dare say… Well, we talked about moving mountains some time ago. How could I dare say to this mountain, “Be thou removed in the name of Jesus,” if I don’t know that Jesus wants that mountain to be moved right then, or which direction He wants it moved and so forth?

So, Tom, it’s simple common sense, first of all, that you just don’t tack the name of Jesus on to get everything you want. And we talked last week about prayer. Prayer is an exercise of the heart to bring me into submission into God’s will. How can I dare to ask something if I’m not sure it’s His will? And if I’m not sure, then I can say, “Well, not my will but thine be done. Lord, only if this is your will.”

First of all, I would not expect the God of the universe to bend His will, to act as my servant. Then I’ve become “god” in charge. I’ve taken over, and He’s my lackey now, and He only exists to give me what I want.

Tom, unfortunately that is the impression you would get from many people on radio and television, that we can use God to prosper. The gospel of prosperity: God wants you rich, and you can just use His name to get whatever you want. These men and women have large mailing lists and they can get a lot of people to give to them so it works for them. But the people that they are telling to follow their example don’t have mailing lists, and all they can do is make a positive confession, but that is not in the Bible. It does not make sense.

Tom: Yes, Dave, I want to explore this business of “in the name of Jesus.” I can remember long before we started on radio—whether you wrote the article, I don’t really know, I remember the instance of it—but you said, or I said, in an article in the newsletter, something to the effect that there’s no power in the name of Jesus. That started a firestorm. What we were saying is that we hear the name of Jesus all the time. You can go out on a golf course and you hear the Lord’s name used in vain. But these people were so upset when we said there is no power in the name of Jesus. In other words, it’s not a mantra, it’s not an incantation, and whether they have confused thinking, somehow, they were offended by that.

Dave: Well, yes, people get the idea that there is some magic in just mentioning the name of Jesus, and boom! We love the name of Jesus. This is the name of our Lord. But as you said, many people take His name in vain, and many people curse in the name of Jesus. God doesn’t strike them down. So what matters is my relationship with Him. And I wouldn’t dare to command something in the name of Jesus unless I know that this is His will. I am supposed to be His servant. I am supposed to take up His cross, deny myself, and follow Him, and whatever I think or say or do is to His glory.

People get the idea, Well, I can get what I want. I remember, Tom—again, we’ve probably mentioned this before, but it probably bears repeating. I remember when I was a young Christian, Hebrews:11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
See All...: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” And I can remember thinking, “Wow, now there’s the formula. I can get what I want. I just have to follow that verse and I can have anything! I mean, he’s going to reward me.” But wait a minute, it says, “…he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Somehow I overlooked that. When I realized, Wait a minute, if I am seeking Him, what is He going to reward me with but Himself? And wouldn’t it be horrible? I would be defrauded if I got the whole world and I didn’t get Him.

And, Tom, speaking to my own heart as well as those out there listening to us, we need to seek the Lord more. David in Psalm:27:4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
See All... said, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” How many people think that way? What could be better than getting to know the Lord? And to know Him is to know His will, to know His love and to love Him more and more and more. This should be the passion of my heart. Not to my own aggrandizement. Not to get things I want, and He will give me what He knows I need, which is a whole lot better than getting what I want.

Tom: Dave, the issue of authority—maybe we can address that for a second. I am thinking of the Roman soldier centurion who—was it his servant that was sick?

Dave: Yes.

Tom: And Jesus was going to come. He sent his servants to have Jesus come, and then he says, “No, just say the word.” Well, let me read that. It’s in Matthew and also in Luke. Matthew:8:9For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
See All...: “For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”

Dave: Yes, he doesn’t say, “I am a man of authority.”

Tom: Right.

Dave: He said, “I am a man under authority,” and I can only command what the authority over me authorizes me to command. Otherwise, I’ve gone AWOL (absent without leave) in the military and that’s very bad. No, I am under the authority of Christ.

And what more could I want than what God wants for me? God is a bit smarter than I am. His love is infinite, and He really wants to bless me. He wants to bless every person. Then why take myself out of His loving care, and instead of desiring with all my heart that He would direct my life and His will would be done, I try to impose my will on Him and say, “Well, Lord, I know better than you do. Now here’s what I really would want, Lord. Now isn’t this wonderful that there’s this technique that I can use and I can get whatever I want?”

Remember, Kenneth Hagin wrote that booklet years ago, maybe we’ve mentioned that before as well. The title of it is How to Write Your Own Ticket with God, and he said Jesus appeared to him and gave him four principles which, if you follow these, you can always get what you want from God. I do not want to get what I want from God! I know that my heart is “deceitful above all things, desperately wicked.” This is why David said in Psalm:139:23-24 [23] Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: [24] And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
See All..., “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

I would be afraid of God giving me what I want, because you know what that would do to a child. If a child, whatever they do, whatever they ask for, they are rewarded with it, that is the destruction of that child. And if God would just give me anything I want, I would be afraid. I want Him to direct my paths to give me what He knows I need, but most of all I want to be used to His glory, to deny myself. Why do I have to deny myself? Because self is corrupted, and I want to be delivered from self, Tom, and out of myself. You know that’s what happens when you fall in love, really. And we’ve talked about that, and we won’t go back into that again.

Tom: Dave, let me…

Dave: But when you really love someone, Tom, you’re not thinking about what I can get out of this. You’re thinking, How can I benefit, bless this person, the one that I love? And that would solve a lot of marriage problems right there. If the husband and wife each started to think of the other instead of trying to make sure they are getting a fair deal out of this, and “I want to be sure I’m getting what I ought to have, and I am not getting what I want out of this marriage,” and so forth. Forget yourself and think of others, and above all think of God and His will and His way, and you will have a joy that will be greater than anything you could have if you operate selfishly.

Tom: Dave, before we get onto the next question, I’ve got something out of left field here, but it is related to our first question “in the name of Jesus.” Now, why is it—we’ve talked about hearing Jesus’ name all the time in vain here and there, and so on—why is it that Jesus is the only one, or God is the only one? We never hear, let’s say, “Jack Mormon,” a Mormon in rebellion, a Mormon using the name of Joseph Smith in vain, or a Muslim using Muhammad in vain. Search the world over, even in other religions you find Jesus is the one whose name is used in vain. How do you figure that?

Dave: Well, there’s no point in running down someone who doesn’t have the authority, isn’t the real McCoy. And Satan doesn’t have any purpose in attacking Muhammad or Buddha or Joseph Smith. Satan is not going to waste his time on that. But he is certainly going to try to cause men to…

Tom: Demean, denigrate…

Dave: Right, demean the name of Christ, to bring the name of Christ down into the gutter, or into the world of swearing, cursing, whatever he can do. Yes, that’s very interesting, Tom, that I don’t hear people swearing in the name of Allah, or Buddha, or whatever.

Tom: Okay, well, let’s get on to the next question which is right along this line.
“Christ promised, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them’ (Mark:11:24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
See All...).”

Dave: This is the question this person is asking.

Tom: There is really a good point here. I know a lot of people have stumbled over this, and I have to admit I have at times, but we’ll get to it.

Let me finish the question: “There are no conditions stated, such as abiding in Christ, being obedient, asking according to God’s will, or anything else. Do you know any Christians for whom this promise is fulfilled in that they always get whatever they ask for in prayer? I’ve never met one for whom that is true. How can you explain away Christ’s failure to fulfill this promise?”

Dave: Well, Tom, of course it is related to the previous question, and this is the idea. Well, Norman Vincent Peale, for example, said that positive thinking was another word for faith. Well, now what? Positive thinking is something I originate. In other words, if I can just think positively, and there are many people, as you know, trying to do this. This is what the whole New Age movement is about. Mind science—the power of the mind. You have Claude Bristol, who wrote The Magic of Believing, or you have Denis Waitley’s (very popular) Seeds of Greatness. They believe there is some magical power in belief, so if I can just convince myself, if I can just believe…and, Tom, many Christians think that as well.

Tom: That’s it, Dave. Just that phrase in this verse: “When ye pray, believe that ye receive that….” That can throw somebody off.

Dave: All right, let’s try and analyze that. So, I am praying for something, and I am telling myself, “If I could just believe that this prayer will be answered, that’s faith.” No, if I can get things to happen because I believe they will happen, that’s the power of my mind. This is some occult psychic power, but this is what the world seeks, and this is what they want to believe, because what does it do? It puts me in charge. It makes me God. I don’t need God. Why do I need God? I don’t even have to say “in the name of Jesus” if just by believing in my mind that it’s going to happen, it happens. Wow! What power I’ve got! But that’s not what faith is. Jesus says in Mark 11, “Have faith in God.”

Tom: Yes, so it needs an object.

Dave: Well, faith must have an object. It must have something—what you believe and whom you believe. But the point is that faith is not believing that what I am praying for will happen. It’s believing that God will make it happen. Well, that changes everything. Faith in God! “Whatever you ask in faith, believe.” If I can really believe that God wants this done and that God will do, it will happen. But where would I get that kind of faith? I have to be in touch with Him. I have to be submitted to His will. So that changes everything. Faith in God? Maybe it’s not God’s way, maybe it’s not His time, it’s not His will. I’m not imposing this on Him. I am saying, “Lord, I believe you are going to do this right now.” Wow!

Tom, I’ve had experiences like that in my life, where I knew this was God’s will and He really wanted it done, and that I was His servant as Elijah was. Elijah said, “Let it be known that I am your servant and that I have done this at your Word.” Now, if you know that this is God’s will, you will have faith to believe and it will absolutely happen. This is what Jesus is talking about. He’s not talking about some magic power of the mind. You could operate independently of God if that were the case. We need to get back under his will.

Tom: Just to remind some of our listeners, last week or a couple of weeks ago we talked about George Mueller, and his statement was, when they said, “George, you must be a man of great faith.” And his response was, “No, I am a man of little faith, but it is in a great God.”

Dave: Amen.