Forgive Us Our Tagline

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From the time I first learned how to pray, I was taught a consistent prayer formula that I have used all my life. I was taught to conclude my prayers with two phrases, five words in total: “in Jesus’ name” and “Amen.”

I have employed that formula my whole life, but I have given it little thought, except to observe that the five-word formula has become performative for me. I don’t often use those words in my private prayer, only when I pray in public, either leading in prayer or praying out loud in turn with others. Those two phrases form a useful device in public prayer, as they signal to others that my prayer has come to an end.

In other words, I must admit that I have come to think of those four words as a kind of tagline..

What does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”? When I was a pastor, I had a church credit card with access to my expense and ministry accounts. When I used that card to purchase a book or pay for a meal with someone, I was acting on behalf of our fellowship, using funds they had entrusted to me to carry out ministry objectives. I was using that purchasing power in the name of our church and its ministry.

In the same way, when I pray to the Father in Jesus’ name, I am acting as if my prayer aligns with the will of His Son.

So where’s the blasphemy, you ask?

Recall the third commandment: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” We know that this is a prohibition on using the Name of God frivolously (as in profanity). It also means – and this may be the original focus of the command – that we are forbidden to swear falsely by the Name, to use the Name of the Almighty to bolster a false claim.

I wonder how often I’ve prayed a self-absorbed prayer that gives no thought to the will of God, the kind of prayer that James said is futile: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3). It doesn’t even occur to me that attaching the tagline “in Jesus’ name” to such a thoughtless and self-centered prayer might be an offense against both the Father and the Son, in whose Name I have invoked heavenly blessings on my casual request.

And then I double-down by pronouncing “Amen” (“So be it”) to conclude my prayer.

What shall I do with this new understanding of an old, careless custom?

First, I must confess this habit for what it is, a kind of casual blasphemy.
 
It’s not easy to admit to myself that I have been unknowingly offending the Almighty my entire life. But that is what I must consider, a sin I must confess. So I start here, acknowledging before God that I have used His Name carelessly and selfishly.

Let’s not get the wrong idea here. It’s not as if God has been pouting all my life, offended that I have misused His Name and even more offended that I am unaware of it. No, He is, as ever, our gracious and loving heavenly Father, and I come to Him in sorrow over my careless ways but also in confidence that He is ready to forgive when I confess.

But confession is never complete without repentance, without a decisive change in behavior, so there’s another step.

If I want my prayers to align with God’s will, I must give more thought to my petitions.
 
This pattern of thoughtless prayer followed by thoughtless tagline is a long-standing habit formed over decades, so it will not be easy to change the way I think about and articulate my petitions. But I want to use the Name with the reverence it deserves.

One implication is that I must more carefully consider what I am asking for. When I look at my petitions with God’s will as my primary consideration, I am more circumspect about what I ask Him to do. Frankly, I often don’t know what God’s will might be in a given situation: when I or my loved ones face affliction, is it better to pray for endurance or relief? I know what I would prefer, but I also know that God’s ways are wiser and far more compassionate than mine. So I approach the whole matter of petitionary prayer more humbly and circumspectly.

One practical way to give more careful thought to this is to use different language. Instead of the familiar “in Jesus’ name…” I will sometimes pray, “in the strong and lovely name of Jesus…” That is a verbal reminder to myself of what I am saying when I invoke the Name of my Lord and Savior on behalf of my petitions.

Paul wrote that when he became a man, he put away childish things. This is a childish thing that I want to abandon, thoughtlessly invoking the Sacred Name in my prayers. I want to be more thoughtful about aligning my petitions with His will so that I can pray in His Name with more confidence.

Persevere.