In his name
At night his song is with me,
A prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8
Read John 16:23—30
My attempts at asking in prayer have not always led to receiving, yet Jesus persistently and stubbornly, no only here, assures me that I will.[1] As I listen to the word of Jesus tonight, he seems to draw me closer into himself. He himself is at one with the Father. He has said that ever and again. He is the one who knows the Father. And he knows his own.[2] He knows me. So now I am to pray not in my own name, but in his name. Out of the intimacy he has established with me by laying down his life for me. My prayer becomes a communion with him. And, in tonight’s reading, the second time he asks me to pray in his name, it seems as if he can almost step aside (though I know he doesn’t.) He has delivered me into the Father’s presence.
Prayer
Father, dear Father, thank you for the intimacy, the unity you have with the Son in the communion of the Spirit. He, Jesus my Lord, has brought me into your presence, and it is lovely. Your communion is joy. It strips me of false asking. It makes me want what you want. May your will be done within the very needs I present before you. Your name be glorified. Your purpose be found by me and embraced gladly. Your joy be complete in me.
[1] Luke 11:9—13
[2] John 10:14—15