Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it!
John 14:14
Wow that is like being given a blank cheque on which we can fill in the details of what we need. Is it really like that? Can we really ask for anything at all we need and it will be done for us? Well notice I did say “need” and not “want”.
Let’s see what the experts say:
(If you want to work on this for yourself then don’t read anymore now. Go and use all the resources available to you to study it and then come back to what I have written below)
Matthew Henry
II. Great power in heaven: “Whatsoever you shall ask, that will I do (Joh_14:13, Joh_14:14), as Israel, who was a prince with God.
In what way they were to keep up communion with him, and derive power from him, when he was gone to the Father – by prayer. When dear friends are to be removed to a distance from each other, they provide for the settling of a correspondence; thus, when Christ was going to his Father, he tells his disciples how they might write to him upon every occasion, and send their epistles by a safe and ready way of conveyance, without danger of miscarrying, or lying by the way: “Let me hear from you by prayer, the prayer of faith, and you shall hear from me by the Spirit.”
An interesting little thought but not the essential meaning of the verse.
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia
[looking up the word “name”:The word for “name” in the Old Testament is shēm (also the name of one of the sons of Noah). The etymology is uncertain, although it may be from shāmāh (obs.), “To set a mark”; shum is the Aramaic form. For the name as descriptive of the person see NAMES. Besides designating persons, the name also stands for fame, renown, reputation, character gained or expressed, etc. (Gen_6:4; 2Sa_7:9, 2Sa_7:23, etc.); to speak or write “in the name” signified authority (Exo_5:23; 1Ki_21:8, etc.); to “call one’s name” over a place or people indicated possession or ownership (2Sa_12:28;Amo_9:12, etc.); to act “in the name” was to represent Deut_25:6
The Divine Name
The “name of God was therefore not a mere word, but the whole of” the Divine manifestation, the character of God as revealed in His relations to His people and in His dealings with them (Exo_9:16; Jos_7:9; Jos_9:9, etc.). Where Yahweh is said to record His name, or to put His name in a place (or person), some special Divine manifestation is implied, making the place or person sacred to Him Exo_20:24; 1Ki_8:16.
Character and Work of the Person
The “name” of God has the same relation to the character of God as in the Old Testament (Mat_6:9; “Father, glorify thy name,” Joh_12:28); it is manifested by Christ (Joh_17:26; compare Joh_17:3); the name of Jesus, as manifesting God, takes the place of the name of Yahweh in the Old Testament. “In the Name”; 3Jo_1:7, “for the sake of the Name”); the “name of Christ” is equivalent to “Christ himself” Mat_10:22; Mat_19:29; therefore “to believe on his name” is to believe in Him as manifested in His life and work Joh_1:12; Joh_2:23; “in the name of God” means sent by God, as representing Him, with Divine authority Mat_21:9; Mat_23:39. “name of Jesus” represented His “authority” and “power,” e.g. working miracles in His name (Mat_7:22; Mar_9:39; Act_4:7.
“To name the name” of Christ was to belong to Him 2Ti_2:19; to “hold fast his name” is to be true to Him as made known Rev_2:13; Rev_3:8; to “do all’ ‘ things in his name,” is as “acknowledging him” Mat_18:20; Col_3:17; “In the name of” means “as representing” (or as being), to receive a little child “in Christ’s name,” i.e. as belonging to Him, is to receive Himself.
In Relation to Prayer
The significance of the name of Jesus in relation to prayer deserves special notice. To pray in the name of Jesus, to ask anything in His name, according to His promises, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do” (Joh_14:13; compare Joh_14:14; Joh_15:16; Joh_16:23); is not merely to add to our prayers (as is so often unthinkingly done): “we ask all in the name of Jesus,” or “through Jesus Christ our Lord,” etc., but to pray or ask as His representatives on earth, in His mission and stead, in His spirit and with His aim; it implies union with Christ and abiding in Him, He in us and we in Him. The meaning of the phrase is, “as being one with me even as I am revealed to you.”
Now we have something that helps us. To pray “in his name” means to pray with His authority. We can pray with his authority when we pray according to His will and His promises. When we are in accord with His name and His Word – in other words are being true representatives of Him who we serve. When we do that, we carry with it the authority of the One Whose name we bear. Then we have all the authority that comes with that name and God the Father is only too willing to answer our prayer because it is in line with His will.
The bearer of His name may act in accord with having His power of attorney. We are an extension of the one whose name we bear. Is this something Jesus would agree to. Is he likely to bless me for asking for such a thing. [WWJD – What would Jesus do?]
You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Regina Brett
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.
Benjamin Disraeli