And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
-John 14:13-14 (NIV)

Your head is bowed, your eyes are closed, and you are listening as someone leads in prayer. And then you hear the usual closing words: “We ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.” The prayer is officially complete.

But why do we close our audible prayers to God in this way?

The idea is taught in these verses from the Gospel of John. At first glance it might seem that you can simply tag this line to the end of any prayer and get what you want, but that’s not the case at all. Does Jesus want to do whatever we ask of him? Yes, but with a caveat… He will do anything we ask that brings glory to God.

In Jesus’ day, a person’s name embodied what they were like. So to pray in the name of Jesus simply meant you were asking for something consistent with his character. Jesus will gladly answer those requests because through them his Father will be glorified.

Many people unfortunately view prayer as a magic formula where we list our selfish cravings. But if what we ask for clearly isn’t in line with God’s will, then those words are vain and meaningless.

Using “in Jesus’ name” in a prayer isn’t necessarily right nor wrong. But it is absolutely not a secret password that gets you an all-access pass to God. It’s not about the words we use; it’s about our intent.

So ask yourself this question: If all your prayers were answered, who would get the credit? You, someone else, or God the Father?

Ask Jesus for anything that brings God glory and he will do it.