Nothing is more satisfying than enjoying closeness with our heavenly Father.
And yet, life can pull us away from what we know to be true. Our longings—for comfort, significance, and fulfilling relationships—are given by God. But they can only be complete in and through Him. And that, as so many things do, brings us once again to prayer.
Here are some insights from Dr. Stanley, who modeled his prayer life on what Scripture teaches us about connecting with God.
Would you like to enjoy a more intimate relationship with God?
A richer experience with the Lord begins by exploring how Jesus taught us to pray. As you talk to the Father and discover how to listen to Him, it will absolutely transform your life.
As Jesus was preparing to leave the disciples and return to His Father, He gave them some last-minute instructions to encourage them.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:23-24).
He is saying this is the way you pray: When you go to the Father, ask in My name. What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? It’s not simply tacking that phrase onto the end of your prayers. That’s not a bad practice, but Jesus was emphasizing the meaning behind the phrase rather than the words themselves.
I want to give you three ideas to help you appreciate what praying in Jesus’ name means.
First, Jesus is our access to the Father.
This is how a sinful person is able to approach holy God.
“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father” (John 16:26-27).
The disciples discovered that they were no longer servants, but friends of Jesus. The same is true of us. We don’t come as beggars to the Father—we approach Him with boldness and confidence, anticipating His awesome answer to our prayers in the name of Jesus.
The second idea is agreement.
By this, I mean agreement with the Father’s will. When you ask in Jesus’ name, you’re saying, Father, I’m asking you to do the right thing. You know what I need here. Even staring death in the face at Gethsemane (Matt. 26), Jesus asked directly, but humbly, in agreement with what God wanted to do through Him.
But how can we know God’s will? The primary means is the Bible.
Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
To have an effective prayer life, you must invest your time and effort in knowing God’s Word so it will abide in you. You also have the Holy Spirit who guides you into the truth.
“The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should … He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27).
Since He only gives what is best, you can trust Him even when His answers to your requests are not what you expected or wanted.
The third idea is the assurance that I will receive exactly what I need. In this case, I’m coming to Him with great confidence that He will never fail to keep His Word.
Just as He has answered your prayers in the past, He continues to answer you with tailor-made solutions for your needs and desires today.
When you pray in Jesus’ name, God will transform your prayer life by turning uncertainty into confidence and confusion into the wisdom to know His will.
Remember these three words—access, agreement, and assurance. If you pray in His name and submit to His will, you’re going to get the answer you need. Whether the answer is yes, no, or wait, you can trust that He is guiding you into His perfect will.
We’re grateful for Dr. Stanley’s life of prayer and how it enabled him to describe so well the experience of intimacy with God.
We hope you’ve been encouraged to see how Jesus brings His friends into the very presence of the Father—and fulfills both our needs and our longings. “Delight yourself in the Lord” [today] “and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Till next time, God bless you.
For His glory,
Your friends at In Touch Ministries