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 A
number of folks asked for the ‘5 Tests for Praying
in the Name of Jesus' I mentioned in my Easter sermon.
They were listed in the ‘Sermon Worksheet' for
that Sunday. (By the way, if you get a Sermon Worksheet
on Sundays, it will have most of the salient points from
my sermons.) However for those who did not get a chance to
retrieve them here is the excerpt from my sermon:.....
"We
need to remember that the name of Jesus is the secret of our
prayers. In John 14 Jesus said: "If, in my name,
you ask me for anything, I'll do it." That's his
commitment to us. Now he's not giving us carte blanche; or
that we're to pray for anything that just comes into our minds,
he's saying that the things that we pray for ‘in his
name', he will be glad to do for us. How do you know that
a prayer is being truly prayed in the name of Jesus?
Let me suggest five tests:.....
1. Is
the prayer you are praying in the direction in which God's
will is moving in your life?
2. If this prayer is answered will it bring you closer
to God?
3. Does this prayer seek God's blessing on all who
are involved?
4. Does this prayer seek to extend the Kingdom
of God on earth?
5. If this prayer is answered will it bring something into
your life that God can enjoy with you? -  Now
when a prayer passes those tests you can pray that prayer
very boldly and freely in the name of Jesus. Because there's
something about that name!"
But the
problem with familiarity is a very real one, especially when
it comes to praying the Lord's Prayer. Sometimes I
almost tremble as we recite it so casually every Sunday. When
we pray in Jesus' name, we are encountering one of the most
powerful forces in the universe! Be very careful when you
pray in the name of Jesus. Prayer does work! That's even the
conclusion of The Journal of The American Medical Assoc.
After extensive testing the study concluded that hospitalized
heart patients had fewer complications when other people
prayed for their recovery. It also stated that prayer relieves
stress. So seriously praying in Jesus' name can do
wonders for you and those for whom you pray.
We need
to remember it's always a two way street when it comes to
prayer. So "pray as if everything depended on God,
and work as if everything depended on you."
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