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I was thinking of all the desperate prayers I have ever prayed. So many pleas, so many barters (hey, I know. But I have.), so many promises, and so many words falling all over each other. There is absolutely nothing wrong with long drawn out prayers. In fact, we all should offer heartfelt conversations to our God and speak to Him daily. Good to note that He never tires of our longwinded prayers. Never.
However, I have come to learn and understand that there are times when we feel out of pleas, barters, promises, and words. We feel overwhelmed and empty. We know we need to pray; we feel the urgency but words don’t come. It is as if there is not enough strength inside our soul to get them out of our lips.
It hit me the other day that really I only need ONE five letter word in my prayer vocabulary. One word. One name. JESUS. I am not minimizing prayer – I am just saying that ALL we need is in the very name of JESUS. “God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above EVERY name.” (Philippians 2:9)
The Bible says that the name of Jesus holds ALL the power of heaven and earth. It is THE only word that in itself is everything. “And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 21:18)
ALL authority over everything is in the very name of Jesus. If by chance that is the only word you can get out of your mouth, then that IS enough.
Someone with all authority is the one with the final say and the only one whose words matter.
At the mere mention of the name of Jesus the demons tremble. “What is this? He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” (Mark 1:27) scare demons off or rock the gates of hell or watch the devil himself flee in great haste? Say Jesus. No, really. I mean it. Say Jesus. Scream Jesus. Whisper Jesus. He holds ALL rule, ALL authority, ALL dominion, and ALL power. He is the name above ALL names.
When you speak the name of Jesus you speak life – healing – purpose – hope – redemption – forgiveness – life – whatever the root is to your crying out of His name, His name will command authority over it.
I know how to pray; I know how to offer thanks or beg for help. I know how to anoint myself with oil and bring my requests in faith. I know that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. However I have been in some very low places where words didn’t seem like enough, and maybe even seemed empty. It really hit me as a major shift in my prayer life as I realized the other day that in moments like that I already have a ready access into God’s presence and I already have a weapon against satan. I simply proclaim the name of JESUS!
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) Without Him, we are nothing and we are without hope. In fact, we would literally be no more.
All the prayers in the world without the power of the name of Jesus would just be vain words. The power is IN His name.
It is necessary to be on the right side of utterance of the name of Jesus – not using His name as a swear word or taking His name in vain. We need to realize His name holds all the authority in heaven and earth. THIS is a name that moves mountains, changes history, saves souls, rights the wrongs, brings dead bones back to life, and makes demons tremble.
“I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me…My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all My purpose.” (Isaiah 46:9,10)
“He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” (Psalm 91:15) So much value is in the name of Jesus. So much power. So much authority. So much love. Oh that we hold His name in deep respect, and also with great assurance that He hears the cries of our heart that we cannot put into mere human words. At the sound of our cries of His name, He will respond.
In the dark night of your soul when words don’t come, or a moment when a measure of time escapes you, remember you really only need to utter ONE word. ONE.
Jesus.
