Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
In today’s scripture, Jesus tells his disciples that “whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” As I read this, I realize that Jesus is telling His disciples that He is the connection to the Father, and He shows us how to ask. When our prayers of intercession flow from a deep faith in Jesus, then when we ask the Father our petitions it is as if they are coming from the mouth of Jesus. The Father hears our words and responds in love.
In today’s gospel passage, Jesus informs the disciples that asking in His name is something that they have not previously done. Jesus offers this new prayer of asking and explains that His disciples will receive what they ask for, and it will bring them joy. Jesus goes on further to say that it is the Father’s love for us that allows us to speak to Him directly. Jesus tells the disciples that He will not need to ask the Father for us, since the Father sees our faith and love in His Son. Even though Jesus is leaving and “going back to the Father,” our prayers will be heard because we are asking in the name of Jesus- the Son who always does the Father’s will.
Reflecting on this concept of asking in Jesus’ name makes me pause. I oftentimes bring prayer requests to God asking for healing for friends, protection for people in peril, or peace for those suffering in the midst of war and strife. Of course I have a specific result that I am praying for- healing, safety, mercy, peace etc. There are times when my prayers seem to be “answered”, but other times it seems that God has turned a deaf ear to my pleas. If I believe that I am asking in Jesus’ name, why do my prayers not seem to be answered? When I step back and think about what it means to “ask in Jesus’ name”, I realize that these prayers are being offered as if they were coming from the mouth of Jesus. Upon further reflection, I remember that Jesus and the Father are one, and all that Jesus does or asks does not come out of fulfilling a need for Himself, but flows from a deep trust and belief in the Father’s love. When Jesus asks for something, He asks and then says, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Jesus’ prayers are from His deep trust in the Father’s desire to bring all to fullness and joy. Although I would like to think that my prayers are this selfless, most if not all of my prayers are rooted in a desire that is oriented to self and my wants. To pray in Jesus’ name requires us to put ourselves into Jesus’ shoes and pray from a place of deep love and trust in the Father. When we pray from this position, we are not worried about the outcome, but we place the situation in the Hands of the Father, and then in faith we go forward believing that God will lovingly respond in the best way. Praying and asking in this way would indeed bring us great joy, since we are no longer concerned about how things will turn out- we know that God has listened and heard, and He will respond in the most loving way. Although this is hard to imagine such a state of faith, this is what we are called to do as disciples of Christ. This sense of trust, love and faith is ours when we allow the Spirit to live freely in our lives. It is God’s Spirit within that unites us with the Father and the Son and provides for us the humility and courage to ask in Jesus’ name.
Asking in Jesus’ name is a new way of asking, and Jesus leads us in how we are to ask. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we will grow in our ability to ask from a place of God’s will- not our wants. The closer our lives become aligned with Christ, the closer our desires actually become the will of God. Through prayer, scripture, sacrament, and God’s presence in the world, we can deepen our love for God. When love of God is the foundation of what we think, say and do, then when we ask in Jesus’ name we will be speaking like Him, and the Father will hear our prayers.
Loving Father, You sent Jesus to show us Your great love for us. With the grace of Your Spirit, allow us to ask in Jesus’ name believing that what we ask comes from our great love for You and Your love for us. May our trust in your mercy and faithfulness allow us to see Your Hand in the world around us. Knowing that You hold all of us in Your Hands, may our joy be complete. We pray this through Christ our LORD. Amen.
- Marylynn Herchline