A person could easily misread the above passage from the Gospel of John and think that simply by slapping Jesus’ name on a request, no matter what it is, God is now obligated or compelled to grant that wish like a genie reporting to his master. Many people approach prayer like this, reading off a list of demands like a child sitting on the lap of Santa. We have this idea that God is our servant and his job is to serve us and do our bidding. But this is a very selfish and skewed view of prayer and totally backward from the order of what God intended. Requesting something in the name of Jesus isn’t so much about what Jesus has or is going to do next as it is about our own actions. The intention of prayer is to authentically come in alignment with the thoughts, words, and actions of Jesus. To fuse our motivations with his, and ensure any request comes from that union.

Here is a visual to help you understand what this looks like in everyday life. Imagine a medieval knight declaring to his troops that an order was given in the name of the King. If you are the knight conveying that command, you had better be sure that the order was directly given by the king, or is in line with his wishes.  If not, your head may soon be separated from your body for treason. Are you starting to understand it now? Praying in Jesus’ name is a very serious thing. Invoking the name of Jesus is a declaration that your prayers are in line with what Jesus wants, and that alignment has led you to desire the very same thing and ask for it in prayer.

The result of Jesus doing something you have asked in his name will always lead to the Father being glorified. The best litmus test to determine if what you are asking for is or is not in Jesus’ name is this: is it bringing glory to God? If not, your prayers will probably go unanswered, and that’s a good thing too. It’s the epitome of human arrogance to believe that we are smart enough to know what’s best for us based solely on our own wisdom or experience. Prayer is about humbling ourselves and asking God to reveal his wisdom to us. God knows what will bring glory to him far better than we do, so it’s always best that we trust the answering of prayer to him, and not our own limited wisdom. Prayer should always be an act of humility, never a declaration of human arrogance or from a place of pride in demanding something of God. The nature of prayer is that it is a channel or conduit, never the source or force itself.

Prayer does not force the hand of God. He is God, Master, Ruler, and Author, and we are not. The concept Jesus espouses in today’s passage wasn’t, “slap my name on it and I’ll do it,” but rather “ask in accordance with what I’ve already revealed to you about my character. Align your will with mine, and you’ll get your heart’s desires.” You receive your desires because they are also God’s desires, not because you were able to sway God’s mind or force his hand. Prayer changes things, but it’s important to remember our prayers can change us! And this is a far better outcome.