“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
John 17:11-12 NLT
Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians used to sing a song, “There is power in the Name of Jesus”. Many of us pilgrims will remember it, even though it is not sung so much today. But the song lyrics put their finger on an important spiritual truth. Paul wrote, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). The name of Jesus is so powerful that one day all people, all created beings, even those in the Heavenly places, even the devil and his minions, will bow their knees before Jesus, acknowledging the God-Man with the “name above all other names”. But that is all to come. In the here and now, we know Jesus as the Son of God with the Name that saves sinners. Peter, standing with John before the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court, said, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
But how do we pilgrims know that the name of Jesus is so powerful. We watch the televangelists calling out the name of Jesus over the sick. Sometimes they get better but at other times they don’t. Jesus’ name is not some magical utterance that can cure all ills, as some might claim. In fact, some factions of the Christian church maintain that the power in His name died away with the first Apostles, though I must say this is not something I agree with. To believe so minimises and belittles our wonderful God, denying the fact that He is Omnipotent. Of course Jesus said and as recorded in John 14:13-14, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”
The secret in the power of Jesus’ name lies with the alignment of our requests with His will. And that is where our faith kicks in. A good place to start is to pray Scripture. Nothing that we request can be granted by God unless it aligns with what is written in His Word.
The disciples enjoyed Jesus’ physical protection while they were with Him but after He had gone, their souls were kept safe from the evil one. We pilgrims too know the power of Jesus’ name because it will keep our spirits safe until we land to be with Him in His Heavenly home.
Dear Father God. There is indeed power in Your name over all the dark deeds of the evil one. We are so grateful. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 