I love to sing this little chorus over and over again in worship.  It is a great way to focus on Jesus and all that he is.  Sometimes I just let the warmth of the words and music envelope me and at other times I picture Jesus and the love in his eyes when he looks at us.  At the same time, I am sure that we don't always see all that he is nor what is all included in his name.

After Jesus' death and resurrection and his ascension into heaven, when called to defend the gospel before the Jewish leadership because of a healing they performed, Peter said that, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).  He told the rulers and elders that they should know this, them and all the people of Israel:  "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed" (Acts 4:10).  Healing, salvation and many other things are to be found in and through the name of Jesus.

Though others had been called by this name, including Joshua, the successor to Moses and the one who led God's people into the promised land, no one in history before or after fulfilled the name the way this Jesus did.  And, it was no accident or chance occurrence that he received this particular name, for when Mary was still pregnant before he was even born, God told Joseph and Mary to "give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).  Jesus is the English form of the Greek name, Iesous, which is from the Hebrew Yahowshua or Joshua which means "Yahweh is salvation."  Names have meaning and God's choice of the name for his one and only son was deliberate and intentional.

Jesus came for the sole and express purpose, included in his name, of saving us from our sins and delivering us from sin's penalty of death (John 3:16, Romans 6:23).  He came to destroy the devil and his power (1 John 3:8).  Christ Jesus — meaning anointed as the Messiah and named Jesus — "who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:6-8).

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he gave them what we call the Lord's prayer and said that this was "how" they were to pray, not the words they were to repeat (see Matthew 6:9).  Later on, however, just before he is about to leave the world, he taught his disciples a new way to pray.  He says,

"In that day you will no longer ask me anything [they had been wondering about all of this and how it was going to happen].  I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:23-24).

The good news is that we are "in that day."  We can ask things in Jesus name or using the name of Jesus and receive what we ask for!  The key however is in the name, not in some magical abracadabra kind of way, but in the fact that the name of Jesus is above every other name based on his life, death and resurrection.  With anything that we are praying about, we name it and then bring it to the name of Jesus to which it must bow the knee and acknowledge his Lordship.

Is it not time that we begin to pray with power in the name of Jesus?  We can name things like debt or disease or whatever difficulty we may be facing and place it next to the name of Jesus.  Jesus name will be supreme and rule over it every time!  Satan doesn't want us praying at all, but he will put up with weak prayers that really ask and expect nothing.  At the name of Jesus, even he must bow and acknowledge his Lordship, as must everything that he would put in our way to block our enjoyment of everything that God has for us!

There is tremendous power in the name of Jesus.  It is the name that saves and delivers us!  And it is the name that we are to name when we pray and ask for the things that God in his great love is desirous to give us.  Name the name of Jesus over your circumstances and see what will happen.  All authority in heaven and on earth is his.  Everything must bow and come into agreement with what he, the Lord of all, desires.  Your will be done, Jesus, your kingdom come!

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