06/15/2026
An Example of Praying in the Name of Jesus
(Rev. Dr. Vaughan Smith, 5/17/2026)
Five times Jesus said that when we pray in His name
our requests
will be granted. (See John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-24; see also 15:7-8)
We pray in the name of Jesus
when our prayers flow from our union with Him,
and when our prayers align with who Jesus is.
We pray in the name of Jesus
when—as His representatives—we pray for things related to
the priorities and ongoing ministry of Jesus.
We pray in the name of Jesus
when we pray
for the things Jesus Himself prayed for.
The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus taught,
and the prayers prayed by Jesus,
show us the kinds of things that we can truly pray
in the name of Jesus.
All prayers that are truly in the name of Jesus
are prayed with the trust and the surrender
that Jesus demonstrated in Gethsemane, when He prayed,
“Father, … not my will, but yours, be done.”
(Lk. 22.42; see also Matt. 26.39, 42; Mk. 14.36, 39)
Five times said that when we pray in His name
our requests
will be granted.
It might take time before we see the results,
and the results might be different from what we had in mind,
but the Lord Jesus Christ
keeps His word.
And we can trust Him.
The following prayer is based on the Lord’s Prayer
and on the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17,
which is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus.
Consequently, the following prayer exemplifies
the kinds of things that we can truly pray in the name of Jesus.
Gracious, almighty God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
we pray the following things in the name of Jesus
because each of these requests
is based on His person, His work, or His prayers.
We ask that you glorify yourself by leading people to repent
and to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Many of us have family members or friends
who do not yet trust in Jesus for salvation.
For their sake and for our sake, glorify yourself
by causing them to trust in and to follow Jesus.
Glorify yourself by causing the followers of Jesus, including each of us
to do a better job of living by His teaching,
a better job of sharing and demonstrating His truth and love.
Lord, we ask you to protect your people from evil.
Prevent us from being deceived.
Prevent us from conforming to the world.
Keep us in your truth. Keep us on your paths of righteousness.
Transform us more and more into the likeness of Jesus.
Holy Triune God, live and rule in us.
Rule in our hearts, in our homes, in our decisions,
and rule over our words, actions, and attitudes.
We ask these things not only for ourselves,
but also for all of your grace-saved people.
Lord, Jesus prayed for unity among Christians,
and following His example, we also pray for that.
Give us a unity that transcends denominational and doctrinal differences.
Unify us in Christ, in love, and in participating with Jesus
in His ongoing work.
In spite of our flaws and failures you love us and forgive us.
Help us to love and to forgive like you do.
Help each of us to live our daily lives
in ways that reflect the character and teaching of Jesus
so that our words, actions, and attitudes
provide strong testimony to the truth of Jesus.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Vaughan Smith, 5/17/2026
The First Presbyterian Church (Titusville, PA)
