The late Paul Harvey told the story of a three-year-old boy at the grocery store with his mother. She sternly told him before entering the store, “No chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask!” In the store, she put him in the little child’s seat in the cart, and they wheeled down the aisles. He was quiet until he got to the cookie aisle. He saw those delicious chocolate chip cookies, stood up and said, “Mom, can I have the chocolate chip cookies?” With a strong voice she said to him, “I told you not to even ask. No!” He sat down. They went down the aisles but later had to come back to the cookie aisle again. He asked for them again. She told him, “Sit down and be quiet. I said no.” Finally arriving at the checkout lane, the little boy knew it was his last chance. He had to do something quick. So, he stood up in his seat and shouted as loud as he could, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?” Everyone around him began to laugh and applaud that little boy. And because of the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy and his mother left the grocery store with twenty-three boxes of chocolate chip cookies!
Have you ever wondered why we pray in Jesus’ name? Is it a magical way to ensure we get the chocolate chip cookies or whatever it is we are asking for? Is it a merely a sign that the prayer has come to an end and we can open our eyes? Or is there more to it?
There’s much more to it. We pray in Jesus’ name because:
1. We Ask in His standing
We, in our own standing, have no right to present ourselves to God and ask Him anything. On our own merit, there is no reason God should answer any of our prayers. We all fall short of God’s glorious standard. “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:24). Because Jesus made us “right” we come before God with confidence and ask with boldness (Hebrews 4:16)!
2. We Ask in His authority
Jesus says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). When Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, He broke any authority that Satan might have. Satan still has inherent power (2 Corinthians 4:4) and we wage war against his deceitful schemes. Nowhere does it say that Christ delivered us from Satan’s power – only that He delivered us from his authority or the right to use his power against us. “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
In Jesus’ name! Amen!
Ryan Smallwood
.svg)