Prayer Expressions
There are certain
expressions used in prayer
meaning of which is not always
fully understood. One of these is
the common closing sentence of a
prayer, “We ask this in the
name of Jesus, “ or
“Grant us this prayer, O
Lord, because we ask it in the
name of Jesus.” These
expressions are based on
Christ’s promise,
“Whatsoever ye shall ask the
Father in My name, He will give
it to you.” John 16:23. The
promise seems to imply that the
name of Jesus will validate any
claim.
This is a
wonderful promise and opens the
door wide to the believing soul.
This promise, however, must be
interpreted in harmony with other
statements and not made to
stand-alone without any
conditions attached. We may not,
for example, ask God for
permission to sin. We may not
– as one man did –
exact a promise from God to
forgive him a certain sin he
intended to commit. This man
wanted to make sure that God
would forgive it; hence, he
wanted God to bind Himself
beforehand so he would be sure
that it was safe to proceed. It
is apparent that no magical words
or a simple phrase will warrant
God in giving us what we want.
Our desire must conform to His
will.
It will be
concluded that whatever request
we make of God should be within
reason. We may not, for example
ask for the abolition of the Ten
Commandments or the repeal of the
law that the wages of sin is
death. Such would be absurd. What
then, is the meaning of
Christ’s
“whatsoever”?
When Christ made
this promise, He was discussing
the sorrows and disappointments
that would come to the disciples
at His death. While the world
would rejoice, the disciples
would weep and lament. Verse 20.
However, soon their sorrows would
turn to joy, which no man should
take from them. Verse 22. At this
point, He makes the promise that
whatsoever they ask In His name,
the Father will give it to them.
However, they had asked nothing
in His name. Now they would
receive whatever they should ask,
if only they asked in His name.
Then He adds this significant
statement: “These things I
have spoken unto you in proverbs
[margin,
“parables”].”
Verse 25.
From this
expression, it is evident that
Christ gave them a blessed
promise, but that it must not be
taken in its extreme meaning, as
it is a parable, a proverb. A
proverb is defined as “a
general truth stated in a graphic
way.” A parable is a simple
story from which a lesson may be
drawn. It must not be made
“to go on all four,”
however; that is, it must not be
interpreted too strictly or too
extremely. The parable of the
rich man and Lazarus is a case in
point.
When Solomon says,
“the liberal soul shall be
made fat” (Proverbs 11:25,
he states a proverb, a general
truth: God will prosper those who
are liberal. When he says that
“there shall no evil happen
to the just” (proverbs
12:21), he states another truth,
but it needs
interpretation.
After Christ had
given the disciples the promise
mentioned above, He said,
“The time cometh, when I
shall no more speak unto you in
proverbs, but I shall show you
plainly of the Father.” John
16:25. According to this, there
is a difference between speaking
in a proverb and speaking
plainly. We are therefore
warranted in making a difference
also. In the present instance, we
need “to understand a
proverb, and the
interpretation.” Proverbs
1:6. The interpretation seems to
be this:
Understanding a
Proverb
Christ was about
to enter upon His mediatorial
work. Up to this time, the
disciples had never prayed to the
Father in Christ’s name.
John 16:24. However, Christ had
now finished the work He had been
given to do. John 17:4. Jesus had
earned the right of
intercession. With boldness He
demands of the Father, “I
will….” Verse 24. These
were strange words for Christ to
use. Before, He had always said,
“Thy will be done.”
However, He had finished His
work, He had the right to say,
“I will.” In the
covenant agreement between Father
and Son, Christ was to do His
part, and when He had done this,
He had a right to demand that the
Father do His.
“In the
intercessory prayer of Jesus with
His Father, He claimed that He
had fulfilled the conditions
which made it obligatory upon the
Father to fulfill His part of the
contract made in heaven with
regard to fallen man.”
Redemption: or the Resurrection
of Christ; and His Ascension,
pages 77,78.
“He had also
a request to prefer concerning
His chosen ones upon earth. He
wished to have a relation clearly
defined that His redeemed should
hereafter sustain to heaven, and
to His Father. His church must be
justified and accepted before He
could accept heavenly honor. He
declared it to be His will that
where He was, there His church
should be; if He was to have
glory, His people must share it
with Him…. In the most
explicit manner Christ pleaded
for His church, identifying His
interest with their, and
advocating, with a love and
constancy stronger than death,
their rights and titles gained
through Him.” The Spirit
of Prophecy, vol 3, pp.202,
203.
In telling the
disciples that henceforth they
could ask the Father in His name,
and God would do whatsoever they
desired, Christ was announcing
the new relation He sustained to
the Father. He had earned
the right of intercession. He had
finished the work God had given
Him to do; and it was now for the
Father to do His part. “I
will, “ says Christ
confidently. Christ5 was yet to
die. However, thus far He had
finished His work. John 17:4.
On the cross,
Christ finished another part of
His work. “Jesus knowing
that al things were now
accomplished, … said, it is
finished: and He bowed His head,
and gave up the ghost.” John
19:28-30. When Christ died –
“God bowed His head
satisfied. Now justice and mercy
could blend. Now He could be just
and yet the justifier of all who
should believe on Christ. He
looked upon the victim expiring
on the cross, and said, ‘It
is finished. The human race shall
have another trial.”
In view of
Christ’s finished work, He
had the right to demand that all
that had been promised to the One
who should justify God in the
eyes of the universe-and thus
settle the controversy that had
been initiated by Lucifer-be
given Him. The Father freely
granted this. With this knowledge
and this assurance, Christ could
confidently say to the disciples
that henceforth they could ask
the Father in His name, and they
would receive. However, this
promise of the
“whatsoever” must be
held strictly within the
provisions of the covenant
agreement. It is not possible to
introduce anything extraneous
into the petition.
This is born out
by Christ’s strange
statement about what to expect
from God in answer to prayer in
Christ’s name: “I say
unto you, that I will pray the
Father for you: for the Father
Himself loveth you, because ye
have loved Me, and have believed
that I came out from God.”
John 16:26,27.
Interpreted this
mean: I can pray the Father for
you, but it is not necessary that
I do so, for the Father Himself
loves you as He loves Me. In
addition, He loves you because
you love Me. So all you need to
do is to pray in My name.
Our first work,
then, in praying, is to get
Christ’s endorsement. Before
He will give this, our request
must be harmony with His general
plans and desires. If we are to
pray in His name, and if a name
stands for what the person really
is, his character, the particular
traits which make up the total
personality, then in taking
Christ’s name we identify
ourselves with the
characteristics of that name and
become one with Him in ideas and
purposes.
This changes the
term “in His name” from
a formula to a life. The question
may therefore rightly be asked,
do we present our requests in His
name, merely as a phrase added to
our petition, or are we in
character like the name?
A Blank Check
Some liken the
promise that whatsoever we ask of
God in Christ’s name will be
granted us, to a check on the
bank of heaven, signed by Christ,
but with no amount written in.
That we insert. In
addition, the promise gives us
authority to ask any amount we
please. The check will not be
dishonored, for it has
Christ’s name on it. We
present it in His name. Moreover,
God will stand by His promise.
This, they assert,
is the meaning of the promise
that we may ask anything in His
name and it will be granted.
However, this would be unlike
God’s usual manner of
procedure.
Always there are
conditions upon which God hears
us. God never makes an
unconditional promise. Christ
never signs a check unless the
amount is stated. That would be
like the man mentioned above, who
wanted God to promise to forgive
a sin he intended to commit. The
promise that God will grant any
request whatsoever, if presented
in the name of Christ, is
interpreted by John to mean,
“that, if we ask anything according
to His will, He heareth
us.” 1 John 5:14.
This, we
understand, is the meaning of the
promise. We must keep in close
touch with God ascertain what His
will is, find out what He wants
us to do, and then form our
request” according to His
will;” and He will hear us.
“Without the
Loss of One”
There are some
phrases often used in prayer that
are well meant, but do not really
express what we have in mind, and
which should be revised and
omitted. One of these is the
pious wish, “Lord, save us
all without the loss of
one.”
We call this a
pious wish, for it is doubtless
the sincere wish of the one who
prays. However, generally
speaking, it is a prayer that is
impossible of fulfillment, for
the simple reason that it is not
possible for God to save anyone
who will not be saved.
If God had His
way, no one would be lost; for
the Lord is “not willing
that any should perish, but that
all should come to
repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.
However, the Lord does not have
His way. He would gladly save all
if He could; but having a given
man freedom of choice, He avoids
the compulsion that would be a
denial of the very freedom He has
given. God will do the best that
can be done under all
circumstances; but let us not ask
Him to do what He has left to the
decision of someone else. We may
ask God to help us do our part.
However, we must not think that
when we have prayed we have done
our part, and that it is for God
to do the rest.
“No Visible
Signs”
“We thank
Thee, God, that there are no
visible signs of Thy displeasure
resting upon us.” This is a
dangerous prayer. For the fact
that there are no signs of
God’s displeasure is no
assurance that all is well. There
were no visible signs in the days
of Noah. Men ate, drank, married
and were given in marriage,
“until the day Noah entered
the ark, and knew not until the
Flood came, and took them all
away.” Matthew 24:38,39.
There was no sign
of God’s displeasure in the
days of Lot. “They did eat,
they drank, they bought, they
sold, they planted, they builded;
but the same day that Lot went
out of Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven, and
destroyed them all.” Luke
17:28,29. While we may be happy
that there are no signs of
God’s displeasure resting
upon us, this is not in itself
conclusive evidence that God is
with us.
“God
Forbid”
“Forbid, O
Lord, that I should have done
anything this day displeasing to
Thee.” This also is a pious
and well-meant prayer, but quite
impossible of fulfillment. God
Himself cannot forbid anything to
be done that is done already.
God knows what we
mean. We hope and pray that if we
have done something we should not
have done, that He will forgive
and blot out the record. This God
can do, and this He will do if we
ask Him. Such a prayer is an
earnest wish to have the record
clear. God is pleased with this
kind of prayer.
We may all lean on
the promise that if we do not
know what to pray for as we
ought, the Spirit will make
intercession for us according to
the will of God. Romans 8:26. So
let us pray the best we know, but
also rest in the confidence that
if we fail to present our
prayers, as we ought, God knows
the sincere desire of the heart,
and will answer.
Memory
Verse:
“The Lord
is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance. 2
Peter 3: 9 NIV.
Questions:
1. Do
all of our prayers have to
conform to God’s will to be
answered? Explain.
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2. Have
you taken the self-test lately to
see if your personal life is in
tune with God?
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