Whatever You Ask in My Name
Sometimes the greatest strength is the stillness to wait and ask only for the road He would walk.
In this entry from In Christ, E. Stanley Jones meditates on the deeper meaning behind Jesus’ words in John 14:13—“Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jones draws a sharp but beautiful distinction between glorifying God through our actions and glorifying Him through our responses to others’ requests. To do right ourselves is one level of spiritual integrity, but to do rightly in response to others' demands—where wills and expectations collide—is a deeper test of character.
Jones highlights that Jesus only answered prayers aligned with the Father’s will because He and the Father were perfectly one. And that’s the invitation: to ask “in His name” isn’t a formula, but a formation—our hearts aligned with the spirit, motive, and desires of Christ. To pray in Jesus’ name means we are asking what He would ask, desiring what He desires. When we do, we pray not only effectively but beautifully—bringing glory to the Father, not just in doing good ourselves, but in longing rightly.
Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture:
I dwell in you, and I know the mind of Christ. I lead you to pray not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Your groanings are not lost on Me, for I intercede with a love deeper than words, aligning your heart with Mine. I search your heart and shape your requests so that they rise as incense, pleasing to the Father, because they are born of Me.
You ask in My name not when you use words as magic but when your spirit abides in Mine. I cause you to ask for what is eternal, for what builds up, for what glorifies the Father in the Son. And I delight to do it. You no longer need to fear missed requests or confused prayers, for I filter your desires through grace. Whatever is for your highest good, I will not deny you. I give freely, without reproach, because you are in Christ and Christ is in you.
Remain in Me and let My words remain in you, and the desires of your heart will begin to mirror Mine. This is not burdensome; this is rest. For My commandments are not heavy to the one who walks by faith. As you trust Me, I renew your mind, and My will becomes your will—not by force, but by love.
You are not left to navigate the chaos of others’ expectations alone. Just as I gave Jesus discernment in what to grant and what to withhold, I give it to you. I teach your heart to move in step with Me. This is the peace of sonship—to ask with confidence, to receive with joy, and to glorify the Father by simply abiding in My name.
Scriptures woven in: Romans 8:26–27, John 15:7, James 1:5, 1 John 5:14, 1 John 3:24, Matthew 11:30, Galatians 5:25
My Prayer of Confidence in You:
Father, I trust that as I abide in Christ, You are already shaping my desires into harmony with Your own. I no longer live in the confusion of self-will or the pressure of others' expectations, for I have been joined with the One who always glorifies You. I rejoice in the assurance that whatever I ask in Your name—Your true name, full of grace and truth—You delight to fulfill.
I don’t need to figure it all out. I don’t need to strive to say just the right words or decipher my own motives. I rest in the confidence that the Spirit within me is always praying in alignment with Your will. I receive Your guidance today, and I thank You for shaping my heart to ask only for what is best. It is beautiful to know that what brings me joy also glorifies You.
Amen.
Devotional credit: Excerpted and summarized from “In Christ” by E. Stanley Jones
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