The Laws of Prayer

Whenever every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, it isto the glory of the Father (Phil. 2:9, 10).The problem rests with Christians not understanding the way God has setup His heavenly administration. It is in the design and plan of God that wepray to the Father in Jesus’ Name through the leading and the guidance ofthe Holy Spirit. We can worship and praise Jesus or pray to receive Himinto our hearts. We can talk to Jesus in the sense of fellowship as betweenclose lovers. We can talk to the Holy Spirit in the same sense. However, allofficial prayer must be to the Father.When Jesus was asked by the disciples about prayer, He taught them topray to the Father in heaven (Matt. 6:9). When Jesus prayed, He Himselfprayed to the Father (Jn. 17:1, 25, 26). The early church prayed to the Fatherregarding persecution against the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:24, 27, 30).In all His recorded prayers, Paul prayed to God the Father of our LordJesus (Eph. 1:17; 3:14; Col. 1:3). Jesus Himself said that we are no longer topray to Him but to the Father in His Name (Jn. 16:23-27). We need to flowwith the organization of God and pray to the Father using Jesus’ Name.Some Christians are not getting the results they should have been receivingbecause they have only been talking to the Lord Jesus. The purpose ofJesus’ coming is to reveal the Father to us through His life (Jn. 17:3, 4).Praying in Jesus’ NameMany Christians mouth the words ‘in Jesus’ Name’ without understandingits meaning. The use of a person’s name in a transaction or in giving acommand means that the bearer of the name is doing the transaction orgiving that command on behalf of the person.When God sent His angel to go with the Israelites in the wilderness, Godsaid that they are to beware of him, obey his voice, and not to provoke himfor His Name is in him (Ex. 23:21). The angel became a completerepresentation of God. To displease the angel would be equivalent todispleasing God. Apparently, the angel also had delegated authority topunish (Ex. 23:21).Aaron was made to wear the names of all the twelve tribes of Israel on hisshoulders and on his breastplate. He was being made a representative of allthe tribes of Israel before God (Ex. 28:12, 29). When we use the Name ofthe Lord Jesus Christ in our prayers, we are coming to the throne of God asif Jesus Himself were praying. We are not approaching God by our own© Copyright 2008 Peter Tan Evangelism. All rights reserved. 5