During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, the Bible taught us that He prayed and even taught His disciples how to pray. In whose name did they pray?
This is an interesting question. Let’s look at one prayer the Lord taught His disciples. Matthew 6:9-13, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Here we see that the Father is addressed, but the Son is not mentioned.
We later read the Lord instructing His disciples to pray in His name. In John 14:12-14 the Lord says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask IN MY NAME, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing IN MY NAME, I will do it.” We have His words concerning prayer again in John 16:23-24, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing IN MY NAME: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
To pray in the Lord’s name is to approach God according to the merits of Christ, our savior. In ourselves, we have no authority to approach God or make requests of Him. However, the Lord Jesus could say of the Father, “I do always those things that please him.” (John 8:29). So, we are privileged to have access to God through His blessed Son. In fact…
We are saved through the name of the Son. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER NAME under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
We pray in the name of the Son. “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give it you.” (John 16:24).
We gather together in the name of the Son. “For where two or three are gathered together IN MY NAME, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)
God dearly loves His Son AND His name, for His name describes His person. We read in Philippians 2:9-11, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (302.3)