Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father give us divine help today. Father, help us. Help us to change our wills to yours, and to stop trying to make you do what we want, in our ways and in our timing. We are your children, Father. You are not ours. In the powerful name of Jesus, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit within us, help us to seek your Will today! Amen.
Your Morning Song: "Battle Belongs" by Phil Wickham
Your Morning Scripture: John 14:14
“If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."
...
Dear God, in the name of Jesus, make me win the lottery.
Is that what the verse above is saying? Is that what Jesus was telling His disciples in those last hours before His betrayal?
No. Jesus was not giving us a secret, limitless debit card to turn prayer into the ultimate ATM. That is not what Jesus is saying.
What does it mean then, to pray in Jesus's name?
Prayer is not about us. It is for us.
Prayer is about God.
When we pray and say, "in Jesus's name," we are not slapping a Jesus sticker on our material wants and desires. We are baring our heart of hearts before our Heavenly Father, and at the very foundation of who we are, is Jesus. His purposes and mission.
It is not about praying the right verbal formula to get what we want. That way of thinking is no different than any awful, pagan, false religion that gets caught up in that kind of nonsense (Matthew 6:8).
It is not possible to pray "in Jesus's name" and ask for anything that is against God's Will. Instead, when we pray "in Jesus's name" we are declaring to our Heavenly Father that we come to Him in the name of Jesus.
We pray, as God's Children, in the name of Jesus, because our wills are moving to line up with His. We do not, we cannot, we must not pray to try to make God's Will line up with ours.
It does not, cannot, and will not work.
So, join with God's Children as we declare in prayer that our wills are seeking His. Our wants and desires are laid bare before the cross, submitted to the one who will change and grow our hearts to be more like His own.
The ultimate purpose of prayer is not me. And it is not you.
It is God's glory.
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