After reflecting on the preciousness of the name of Jesus, I’ve found myself thinking about what follows from that reverence. If His name is holy, and if it carries authority that is entrusted rather than assumed, then the next question feels unavoidable. What does it mean when we pray in His name?
It’s a phrase most of us are familiar with. We use it often, sometimes instinctively, at the end of a prayer. Familiarity, however, has a way of dulling meaning, and I’ve begun to realise how easily words can be spoken without being fully considered.
When Jesus tells His disciples to pray in His name, He isn’t offering a formula. He isn’t suggesting that His name functions like a seal added to our own intentions. Praying in Jesus’ name is about alignment. It is prayer offered under His authority and in submission to His will.
“And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
John 14:13 (NIV)
That promise is often quoted but rarely held alongside the rest of Jesus’ teaching. His name carries authority because He carries authority. And that authority is not something we borrow. It is something we live under.
Scripture makes it clear that authority is recognised in the spiritual realm not by language, but by relationship. One of the most sobering examples of this is found in Acts, in the account of the sons of Sceva.
They attempt to drive out an evil spirit by invoking the name of Jesus. They are not followers of Christ, but they have seen the power of His name at work through others and attempt to replicate it.
“Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”
Acts 19:15 (NIV)
In the original Greek, two different words are used for “know,” and the distinction matters. When the spirit says, “Jesus I know,” the word ginōskō is used. It refers to knowledge by experience and encounter. Jesus is personally known and His authority is recognised without question.
When the spirit then says, “Paul I know about,” the word epistamai is used. This is knowledge by awareness or reputation. Paul is recognised because of his obedience and submission to Christ.
But when it comes to the sons of Sceva, there is no recognition at all. They are not known by experience or even by reputation. They speak the name of Jesus, but they do not belong to Him, and they are not living under His authority.
This distinction is important. It shows that the power of Jesus’ name is not mechanical. Authority is not released through correct wording, but through relationship and obedience. The name of Jesus carries power because He is Lord, not because it is spoken aloud.
The outcome of the story is sobering. The men leave wounded and exposed, not because the name of Jesus failed, but because it was used without surrender to the One it belongs to.
This passage has been challenging me. It pushes the question beyond whether I believe in the power of Jesus’ name and brings it closer to home. Does my life reflect the authority I claim to speak from?
Jesus Himself addresses this tension.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father.”
Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
Praying in Jesus’ name requires more than confidence. It requires a life lived under His authority. Throughout Scripture, authority and holiness are inseparable, because holiness speaks of a life set apart for God and submitted to Him. Power is not released through volume or repetition, but through obedience to the One whose name we carry.
The early Church understood this. When they prayed, heaven responded, not because they were eloquent, but because their lives and prayers were consistent with one another.
“The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:43, 47 (NIV)
To carry the name of Jesus is a responsibility. It shapes how we pray, how we live, and how we represent Him to the world.
I’m realising that praying in the name of Jesus is not about invoking authority in moments of need, but about always living under His authority. His name carries weight because He is Lord, and that lordship does not switch on and off depending on circumstance. To speak His name truthfully is to remain under it, even when it costs.
