Praying in His Name

How does prayer fit in this vine/branch relationship? Jesus said He did nothing on His own initiative so He did not pray on His own initiative. His number one priority was to do His Father’s will. Jesus did not pray for His will to be accomplished, rather, He prayed for His Father’s will to be accomplished.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

He wants us to ask according to His will, not according to our will. He will hear our prayer as we pray according to His will.
We can pray according to our will. Or, we can pray according to His will.

Romans 8:26-27 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for {us} with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to {the will of} God.

We do not know how to pray. This truth can be very humbling. We are dependent on the Spirit to teach us how to pray. In fact, the Spirit intercedes for us. The Spirit has an advantage, He knows the mind of God.

The goal for our prayer is to pray according to the will of God. How do we know the will of God? We know and learn of His will through the vine/branch relationship. As we follow Him, obey His commands, trust Him, we get to know Him. As we walk in His Spirit and obey His leading, then His life and love are expressed through us. This is where our prayers should be centered, on His will being done in our lives so His life and love can be expressed through us. Spiritual fruit is then produced and God is glorified.

How do we know how to pray for our needs and the needs of others? We don’t know. We are dependent on Him to lead us and teach us how to pray, how to seek His will in the midst of needs.

He will use our prayers to accomplish His will. He wants us to pray according to His will so He can work and minister.

John 14:13 "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jesus lives in us through His Spirit. We abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine. When we ask something in the name of Jesus, it is the same as if Jesus is asking of the Father. When we pray according to the way He wants us to pray, with Him taking the initiative, leading us, He will answer the prayer. It is the same as if Jesus were asking the request and the Father is not going to deny a request from His Son.

The result of prayer in His name, God is glorified in the Son. He is glorified in the Son because the prayer was prayed in His name. The prayer was not in our name or in our will or according to our will. The prayer is according to His will and He is glorified. If it were according to our will, we would be glorified.

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

If we are abiding in Him and He is abiding in us, our wish is going to be His will. We are not going to be wishing something selfish. If we are abiding in Him and Him in us, we are not going to be praying according to our will but His. The abiding Jesus is describing in John 15:7 is oneness that comes from the vine/branch relationship. We are totally dependent on Him as His divine nature flows through us and will be in tune with His wishes. His wishes become our wishes. We submit our will for His and pray according to His will.

Jesus did not come down to this earth to do His will but rather, He came to do His Father’s will. He is a role model for us. Jesus did not pray for His will but prayed for His Father’s will to be done.

John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 14:10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

The Spirit in us is interceding for us according to the will of God. When we pray a prayer led by the Spirit, in Jesus’ name, it is the same as Jesus praying to the Father. How do we know what the Spirit wants to pray? We know through the close, dependent relationship with Jesus. We learn to recognize His voice, His leading in prayer. He wants us to have the same kind of dependent, close prayer-relationship with Him that He had with the Father.

To attempt to pray on our own understanding is to pray apart from Him. Romans 8:26 says we do not know how to pray as we should. We need help. When we pray according to His will, in the name of Jesus, He is going to answer our prayer and He will be glorified. Our number one priority is for His will to be done in our lives and He wants to teach us to pray for His will in every circumstance.