Praying in Jesus’ Name

Many Christians end our prayers by saying, “in Jesus’ name, amen.” However, we often do this out of habit, without thinking about what it really means. Sometimes, we do it out of superstition; we would feel that our prayers are improper or ineffective if we do not say “in Jesus’ name, amen”.

Of course, we should pray in Jesus’ name (John 14:13–14; 15:16; 16:23–24). However, praying in Jesus’ name does not mean saying the phrase “in Jesus’ name, amen” as part of a prayer. Many prayers are recorded in the Bible, yet none of them contain the phrase “in Jesus’ name, amen”.

In biblical thought, a person’s name is a representation of his identity and character. Hence, praying in Jesus’ name means to pray on the basis of who Jesus is and what he is like. This involves a recognition that our prayers are acceptable to God only because we are made right with God through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with saying “in Jesus’ name, amen” in our prayers. However, if we need to do it in order to feel that we have prayed properly and effectively, then we have missed the whole point of praying in Jesus’ name.