"You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."
-Jesus
John 14:14
Here Jesus makes us a promise. A promise that I believe many today, and I must admit myself included, have taken hold of without a real understanding of what it means.
It almost seems to good to be true. Here we have the Lord telling us that if we simply add "in the name of Jesus" to the end of our prayers we can pray expectantly and we're certain to receive at least something. Right?
But what about the times that little formula doesn't work though? What about the battles or needs met with prayer, even in my own life, that seemingly never get better? "Did I not pray right? I did pray 'in Jesus name'." So I resort to assuming that the issues and struggles that destroy my life and plague my family simply are what they are. That God must have a different plan and I must simply leave it in His hands (often a fancy way of saying "I give up" instead of trusting Him).
REALLY?!
Does Jesus make us promises He doesn't intend to keep? Sure He's got his reasons, but if He's got his reasons for not keeping this one will there be reasons for not keeping the others too?... Or is there more to the picture than we realize?
Think with me. Why is it that Picasso put his signature on everything he painted? If I created my own painting, even the best one I could; if I took painstaking hours and endless effort to make sure everything was just right, all the shades and hues were perfect. Could I at that point, with a good enough painting, convince Rembrandt to sign His signature on it? Of course not, no matter how good of a job I did on it. That is simply not how it works.
An artists' name, their signature on a piece of artwork is more than just a piece of the painting. It's their life! It truly is every painstaking moment they've put into not only that painting, but all their masterpieces. If the name is compromised, the value and weight that name carries is severely damaged. It is also the way we identify the painting as an original. That signature becomes the expression of authenticity, the "thumbprint" of the artist. In the Greek the word that translates here as name is "onoma." This signature, this reputation if you will, is the kind of name Jesus is referring to in this passage.
Jesus is not saying "Hey, here's a cool trick; try adding 'in Jesus name' when you finish a prayer. You'll get more done!" What he wants us to grasp is that in the same way a masterpiece bears the signature of the master, we should bear the mark of Christlike authenticity, that comes only through studying and knowing Jesus, in our lives. So all of a sudden instead of begging Jesus to fix the things that rape and plunder our lives and families while invoking the name of Jesus as our heavenly insurance. We find here that Jesus is really saying "pray and ask me for what you need and then go and walk in my ways." Jesus invites us, beckons us here to really know Him! Saying 'do as I do, know who I am, bear my brushstrokes of authenticity in your life and certainly I'll do whatever it is that you ask of me.' He's not saying 'pray in my name.' He's saying 'pray while living out my name!' In this I find excitement! An adventure, not just sitting and waiting for answers, but a challenge. A pursuit with Jesus at the center of it! A way not only to pray for my families' healing and wholeness, but a way to take part in it as I seek to become fully and totally broken and submitted in the hands of the master. As I become and conform more and more to Christs' ways and His life, I actually walk in what I was created to be; His masterpiece, bearing His authentic signature.
We might also look at it like this. The word onoma here is not only ones reputation, but also a piece of that person. in using their 'onoma' or name, you are standing in their shoes. A fully capable and willing representative.
Like when my wife married me, she took on my name. She did so in order to identify with me, so we could 'be one.' Our children bear my name, they are a part of our family, they identify with their mother and me. My wife, my kids, like it or not, good or bad bear my onoma. They are a piece of me. They bear not only my name, but the weight of who I am and the consequences of what I choose.
Jesus says here 'bear my name, have my onoma. Identify with me, bear the weight of my actions, be free. Take part in my life, walk in what I choose and surely I'll do whatever it is that you ask! Because I know that if you are asking, then I trust it is exactly what I would want. That's how much I trust you, because you know me, you bear my onoma.'
Lord mark my life. place your onoma on my heart. that I would not only pray to you for my family, but I would also be you to my family.
John 14:14
Here Jesus makes us a promise. A promise that I believe many today, and I must admit myself included, have taken hold of without a real understanding of what it means.
It almost seems to good to be true. Here we have the Lord telling us that if we simply add "in the name of Jesus" to the end of our prayers we can pray expectantly and we're certain to receive at least something. Right?
But what about the times that little formula doesn't work though? What about the battles or needs met with prayer, even in my own life, that seemingly never get better? "Did I not pray right? I did pray 'in Jesus name'." So I resort to assuming that the issues and struggles that destroy my life and plague my family simply are what they are. That God must have a different plan and I must simply leave it in His hands (often a fancy way of saying "I give up" instead of trusting Him).
REALLY?!
Does Jesus make us promises He doesn't intend to keep? Sure He's got his reasons, but if He's got his reasons for not keeping this one will there be reasons for not keeping the others too?... Or is there more to the picture than we realize?
Think with me. Why is it that Picasso put his signature on everything he painted? If I created my own painting, even the best one I could; if I took painstaking hours and endless effort to make sure everything was just right, all the shades and hues were perfect. Could I at that point, with a good enough painting, convince Rembrandt to sign His signature on it? Of course not, no matter how good of a job I did on it. That is simply not how it works.
An artists' name, their signature on a piece of artwork is more than just a piece of the painting. It's their life! It truly is every painstaking moment they've put into not only that painting, but all their masterpieces. If the name is compromised, the value and weight that name carries is severely damaged. It is also the way we identify the painting as an original. That signature becomes the expression of authenticity, the "thumbprint" of the artist. In the Greek the word that translates here as name is "onoma." This signature, this reputation if you will, is the kind of name Jesus is referring to in this passage.
Jesus is not saying "Hey, here's a cool trick; try adding 'in Jesus name' when you finish a prayer. You'll get more done!" What he wants us to grasp is that in the same way a masterpiece bears the signature of the master, we should bear the mark of Christlike authenticity, that comes only through studying and knowing Jesus, in our lives. So all of a sudden instead of begging Jesus to fix the things that rape and plunder our lives and families while invoking the name of Jesus as our heavenly insurance. We find here that Jesus is really saying "pray and ask me for what you need and then go and walk in my ways." Jesus invites us, beckons us here to really know Him! Saying 'do as I do, know who I am, bear my brushstrokes of authenticity in your life and certainly I'll do whatever it is that you ask of me.' He's not saying 'pray in my name.' He's saying 'pray while living out my name!' In this I find excitement! An adventure, not just sitting and waiting for answers, but a challenge. A pursuit with Jesus at the center of it! A way not only to pray for my families' healing and wholeness, but a way to take part in it as I seek to become fully and totally broken and submitted in the hands of the master. As I become and conform more and more to Christs' ways and His life, I actually walk in what I was created to be; His masterpiece, bearing His authentic signature.
We might also look at it like this. The word onoma here is not only ones reputation, but also a piece of that person. in using their 'onoma' or name, you are standing in their shoes. A fully capable and willing representative.
Like when my wife married me, she took on my name. She did so in order to identify with me, so we could 'be one.' Our children bear my name, they are a part of our family, they identify with their mother and me. My wife, my kids, like it or not, good or bad bear my onoma. They are a piece of me. They bear not only my name, but the weight of who I am and the consequences of what I choose.
Jesus says here 'bear my name, have my onoma. Identify with me, bear the weight of my actions, be free. Take part in my life, walk in what I choose and surely I'll do whatever it is that you ask! Because I know that if you are asking, then I trust it is exactly what I would want. That's how much I trust you, because you know me, you bear my onoma.'
Lord mark my life. place your onoma on my heart. that I would not only pray to you for my family, but I would also be you to my family.
1 comment:
just reading that it is clear that there is a significant and deep change in your heart. this is why no one else has what you need. only the Spirit of God can breath fresh life into you.
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