IF YOU ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME

All scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Towards the end of the ministry of Jesus on earth, He began to give some farewell words to His disciples. He told them how He would be leaving them to go to the Father and immediately sorrow filled their hearts. During the few years He had spent with them, He had been everything to them. He healed their sick, delivered the oppressed, raised their dead. Many times did He defend them when the self-righteous Pharisees came after them. And when the devil himself arose against them on the sea, He rebuked him. Above all, He had been their hope. For they thought He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel and that He would make them sit with Him to rule the nation of Israel. But Jesus had said He was leaving them and they were now all dejected. All hope was lost. Many of them had left everything they had to follow Him. At a point, in Matthew 19:27, Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 

They seemed to have now lost all, having left everything they had and the Person Whom they were following was about to leave them. Because of this, Jesus gave them a promise. In John 16:23 He said:

“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.”

He knew their problem at that time was how they were going to survive in His physical absence, so He gave them His Name and told them that in that day, whatever they ask in His Name would be given to them. 

Now, Jesus spoke about a particular day when they would begin to ask the Father in His Name and they would receive whatever they ask. 

It should be known that, spiritually speaking, names are not just for nomenclature or means of identification. A name is rather a signet of authority. God enshrines in names the authority He confers on the bearers. After Jesus resurrected, in Matthew 28:18, He came up and spoke to His disciples, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Then the book of Philippians, chapter 2, reveals to us how Jesus received this authority. Jesus was in the form of God and was equal to Him. Yet He did not see this equality as something to hold on to but He humbled Himself, put off the form of God and put on the form of a bond-servant. And He did not just become the servant of God like the angels but went below the level of angels and became a man. And after becoming a man, He also became obedient onto death, even the death of the cross, which was the most shameful death. A criminal death whereby they will be naked on the cross, publicly disgraced. After His death, He also went down to the hades. So Jesus descended from heaven to the earth and also went farther down to hades. He did all this that He might accomplish the will of the Father. So Philippians 2:9-11 now says: “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

After He obeyed God to the point of death and descended to the lowest part of the universe, God then highly exalted Him and He ascended to the highest place in the universe and was given a Name enshrined with all the authority in the whole universe. So we read in Ephesians 4:9-10: “Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.” By descending and then ascending, He received all the authority in the whole universe. So also Peter tells us in Acts 2:32-34 that after Jesus was resurrected He was exalted to the right hand of God and has also been made both Lord and Christ. For this was the day that He spoke about to His disciples that they could begin to ask the Father in His Name; after His resurrection. After He resurrected, He could now tell His disciples; “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Now, although the Name of Jesus is powerful and full of authority, and can be used to ask the Father anything whatsoever, it may not be effective on the lips of some people and may not grant them their answers. The only way to fully maximize and actualize the authority in the Name is to take the way Jesus took to obtain the Name, which is the way of humility and obedience. The Name of Jesus will not be effective in your mouth if you are proud neither will it be authoritative on your lips if you are dwelling in sin and walking in disobedience. The potency of the Name in the life of anyone is dependent on the kind of life such a person subscribes to. The more you come under the rule of God, the more you see God answering whatever you ask Him in the Name of Jesus. But if you are engrossed in sin, the only thing you can ask in the Name is salvation. The scriptures says in Romans 10:13: “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Then after salvation, you can begin to ask the Father anything in the Name. And as long as your life is consistent with the humble and obedient life of Jesus, it will be given unto you.