Let’s Stop Praying “in your name”

A gentle rebuke

Prayer requires tremendous intimacy. Picture Hannah praying in the temple, moving only her lips so that God alone could hear her pleading for a child (1 Sam 1:12-13). Because of this, prayer can be difficult. We master the art of building walls to hide deep realities about ourselves from others, but in prayer, we come before the one who sees all. If we struggle with intimacy with other humans, how much more will we hesitate to open ourselves in the presence of a holy God? Christ alone frees us for such intimacy. To pray well, we must pray in full awareness that we are clothed in his righteousness and invited to boldly approach the throne of grace in full assurance that we will find grace and mercy there (Heb 4:13).

Because of prayer’s inherent difficulty, I hesitate to critique how others pray. If you’ve discovered habits that work and are faithful to God’s self-revelation, who am I to mess that up? If people are praying at all, shouldn’t we simply celebrate that accomplishment without comment?

For the most part, I abide by the mindset of the previous paragraph. I generally steer clear from critiquing the personal prayer lives of other Christians. However, public prayer is a separate issue, and I’ve got a small bone to pick.

The other week, I attended my son’s high school basketball game at a small Christian school located about an hour from where we live. Thankfully, the team begins each game with a prayer from a local pastor. The pastor did a fantastic job praying for the players, the visiting families, and Christ-centered sportsmanship. Then, to conclude his prayer, he said, “in your name, Amen.”

It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard a public prayer end in such a way. In fact, in recent years, I’ve noticed that “in your name” has overtaken “in Jesus’ name” as the most prevalent way to conclude a public prayer. I’m not accusing pronoun prayers of heresy. However, I do want to make the case that Christians should explicitly name Jesus when we pray publicly. Praying “in your name” publicly muddles the glory of Christian prayer.

First, praying explicitly in Jesus’ name accurately describes what’s happening when a Christian prays. Apart from Christ, we have no access to God because of our sin. However, “through him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:18). We pray “in Jesus’ name” because our access to the Father depends on Jesus’ character and redemptive work on our behalf. While Christians should enjoy prayerful communion with both the Son and the Spirit, the most common pattern of biblical prayer goes to God the Father, through God the Son, in the power of God the Holy Spirit (Rom 1:8; Eph 1:16). Thus, praying explicitly in Jesus’ name avoids confusion about the nature of our Triune God and accurately describes the theological realities that make our prayers possible.

Second, praying explicitly in Jesus’ name explicitly claims a promise that Jesus made to us. In John 14:13-14, Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Whether we are praying to the Father or to the Son, Jesus instructs us to pray in his name. Praying in Jesus’ name grounds our prayers in the reality of who Christ is and leads to fruitfulness as we continue to pursue Christ’s mission on earth. When Jesus makes this promise, he is not giving his name as a magical incantation. Rather, he’s instructing his people to pray in continuity with his kingdom purposes. According to Jesus’ promise, when we do that, our prayers will be granted.

Third, praying explicitly in Jesus’ name is public proclamation of the gospel. We are often encouraged to use vague language to avoid controversy. When we pray “in Jesus’ name,” we exclude those of other faiths from our prayers. However, as we’ve already seen, those outside of Christ are already excluded from access to God because of their sin. Only “in Jesus’ name,” can we approach the throne of grace. Rather than cave in to the cultural pressure, Christians should see public prayer as an opportunity to boldly and compassionately witness to the truth of the gospel. We don’t pray “in Jesus’ name” to shove our beliefs down anyone’s throat. We pray thusly because we believe Jesus is the only hope for the world.

Let’s explicitly name our Lord and Savior when we pray publicly.