I Will Do Anything

“I will do anything you ask of my Father in my name. In that way the Son will make my Father's name great.” John 14:13

There is a current television ad that features a person who has just had an accident with their car. They look around, sing the “State Farm” jingle, and just like a genie in a bottle, the insurance representative appears on scene. Not only does he take care of their automobile, but it seems he has unlimited power to supply fast food and reunite families. If only solving my problems were as easy as whistling the right tune.

That is the way some people view this verse, only here, the “right tune” is the phrase “in Jesus’ name”. In fact, most Christians don’t feel they have ended their prayer correctly without saying, “In Jesus’ Name, Amen”. It feels naked, powerless and as if we didn’t get the incantation quite right.

But most followers of Christ know it isn’t about a simple repetition of words. That places prayer into the realm of magic. We control God to the extent that we know the right combination of words and faith. In fact, most of us understand that praying in Jesus’ name means to pray according to who He is, and to focus upon His ultimate will and purpose.

Jesus defines what He means by this “do anything” type of prayer when He adds, “In that way the Son will make my Father’s name great.” Other translations say that we will “glorify God” when we pray this way. That phrase helps me because it causes me to think, “what did Jesus do that glorified His Father?”

In John 21:19, after He is resurrected, Jesus predicts that Peter will die at the hands of others. The gospel explains, “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” And, in Jesus’ prayer in John 17, immediately before His arrest and crucifixion, He prays, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son.”

It is quite clear what Jesus means when He talks about glorifying His Father. Everything in His life pointed to the cross. The Father would receive glory when Jesus died at the hands of sinners, willingly suffering out of love for a world which rejected Him. His love, shown in sacrificial death, opened the pathway of forgiveness for all who would receive His offer of eternal life through faith.

So, when we pray “in Jesus’ name”, are we not being asked to pray looking in the same direction as Jesus, toward the cross? Are we not asked to pray that God would be glorified, not by the ability to sell more stocks than the unbeliever in my firm, not by running faster than the other players on my team, but by living as a willing sacrifice, giving my all for anything that would bring other closer to the love of God?

The answer to how we pray “in Jesus’ name” is not as simple as praying “in His will.” It also includes praying “in His character.” Jesus was unafraid to ask the Father to glorify the Son, even though that glory would come through painful suffering and death. So, as we are given the privilege to pray, we must remember that Jesus does “anything we ask” when we pray with the same attitude. But what transformation takes place in the heart of one united with Jesus so that we no longer seek things from Him. We are changed when we don’t even ask to succeed so we have a better platform to share Him with others. What if our prayer was, “even if my failure or my suffering brings You glory, I ask you to answer this prayer!”

We should not fear identifying with Jesus in just this way. Remember, three days after the crucifixion Jesus rose from the dead. If we do suffer, it is only temporary. It is lightweight, it is a feather, an apparition, a reality so tiny compared to what awaits us that we can willingly allow God to use it for His glory.

I do not know how He does it. I scratch my head when I consider my personal case of daily pain for every day the past four years. But, while I do pray for healing, my prayers have changed. I so want Him to be glorified through my pain. I am limited, I cannot put in near the hours I used to, I need to rest often, I do not have the endurance I once had. I cannot even see as many people, or make as many contacts as I could otherwise. Yet, I pray, even though I can only do less as a result of my situation, that He will use it for His ultimate glory.

I am overjoyed that our Savior invites us into intimate communion with Him. “Ask me anything,” He says. “Ask it in My name, in My will, and according to My character and I will do it.” This is not just an answer from afar off; Jesus Himself will “do” whatever we request when praying for God’s ultimate glory.