Ch. 50 What Does It Mean To Pray In The Name Of Jesus?

Many people think if you don’t say “in the name of Jesus” at the end of a prayer then the prayer is not valid. Ending a prayer with the phrase "In the name of Jesus. Amen," is never done in the New Testament.

Jesus Christ directed his followers to pray “in His name”:

John 14:13–14   “Whatever you ask in My name , that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 “If you ask Me anything in My name , I will do it.

But what does “in My name” mean? “The name of…” is a biblical idiom (a way of speaking); “The name of…” was a way of saying what the person stands for, or their authority. Today we might say I am doing something by the authority of some power. For example, often during a marriage ceremony you hear the phrase “By the power vested in me by the state of…”; it means the state has assigned the legal ability to marry two individuals to the person performing the ceremony.

When we pray in the name of Jesus it simply means we are acting in His authority, and we are consistent with His will. You do not need to say the words "In the name of Jesus. Amen," for a prayer to be heard by God or for the prayer to be effective. It is fine if you say the phrase, but it is not required.

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