In Jesus' Name

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord's name.

For a short book in the Bible, James is brimming with a wealth of scripture. I’ve been reading and studying the Book of James for a few days now from my Hebrew-Greek Study Bible. As I’ve mentioned before, I love to study from this version of the Bible because it does not put scripture in modern terms and lingo but reflects the original Hebrew & Greek. It also puts things in context to the culture at the time it was written. Let’s never forget, the Bible was originally written by Jews for Jews, so understanding their culture is necessary.

Were we to say, “The man tripped gaily across the room” today, it would not mean the same to anyone younger than 60 as it would to our grandparents.

“My mother laid a trip on me” would not mean she blessed you with a journey.

“He was tripping out” doesn’t refer to a seasoned traveler.

“I learned to survive during my trip up the river” is not about enduring a reality show.

Yes, context and culture are very important. That being the case, what does “in the name of the Lord” mean to you and me in our time? It does not mean, as a matter of habit, we must close our prayers in the name of the Lord. It’s intent was to indicate our willingness to permit our prayers to be acted upon under the sovereign will and purpose of God. In John 14:13 our Lord said, “And whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” We know perfectly well that we, as believers, do not always get from God what we ask.

The Lord certainly gives us the freedom and commands us to pray for all that we wish our Heavenly Father should do for us. But our Heavenly Father, knowing more and better than we do, gives us not that which we ask for, but that which He discerns as the best for us. And the best for God’s child is not always necessarily health and wealth, but sometimes it may be to allow sickness and privation designed by God to bring the believer into a closer walk with Him. I know that may be an unpopular statement but let’s be honest, when do we turn our thoughts more toward God? When we are healthy and wealthy or when we are sick and dependent on God for our daily bread? Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes. The word ‘good’ agathon, used in the original text, does not mean more of what we would like to have, but a closer relationship with our God.

So, do we really mean “in the name of the Lord” as scripture in the original text to indicate our willingness to permit our prayers to be acted upon under the sovereign will and purpose of God? Or do we use it more of a bonus to ‘seal the deal’ in hopes of having our will and desires met? Be honest.

My Honey and I end every phone call with “Love you, bye.” While it is good to express feelings and love for one another, do you really think that cursory “Love you, bye” does that? No, it doesn’t, it’s a ritual. We do love one another but that does not adequately cover our commitment. Have we gotten to the place where “In Jesus’ name” in our prayer life is more like ‘love you, bye’? Something to think about.