"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." [NIV]

   Have you ever heard somebody pray, and when they finished their prayer, they concluded the prayer by saying, "...in the Name of Jesus we pray...Amen", or "...and we pray this in the name of Jesus...Amen"? Have you ever concluded a prayer that way? Should we be praying like this?

   Remember this always: There is power in the person of Jesus. If you are in a right relationship with God through His Son Jesus, and you are saved from your sins because you trusted Him to wash your sins away, it is because you recognize that the power of salvation rests with the person of Jesus (and not the mere idea!).

   So, when you pray, you are praying to God through His Son Jesus, recognizing that God has the ultimate authority to answer your prayer. He has the power to answer your prayer in a way that He sees most fit, and if He chooses to, God also has the right to not answer your prayer. So we should remember that since God is in control, we should expect Him to answer, or not answer our prayers as He decides is right. We should not expect Him to answer our prayers in the way we think He should answer them, we should expect God to answer our prayers in the way He knows is best. 

   It is fine to pray "...in the Name of Jesus...", if by praying this you mean to recognize the authority and power of Jesus that is already in place. There is nothing wrong with recognizing that God hears your prayer, and the ultimate authority and power to answer your prayer rests with Him only. In this is both faith and trust, as long as that trust is in the person of God Himself. In light of this, it might be better to end your prayers with something like, "...and we pray this recognizing the authority of Jesus...Amen", while trusting that God will answer your prayer in the way that He sees most right to. By trust, you accept that if God answers your prayer in a way that is completely different than the way you thought He might, then that is all right with you. And by trust, you accept the fact that if God decides to not answer your prayer, then that is all right too. By praying this way, you are not trying to invoke power - you are simply affirming that your trust is in the power of The LORD. This is the same kind of trust we have when we look Heavenward, eagerly awaiting for the day when we will be resurrected by God's authority and power into a new life after death.

   However, it is not a good idea to pray, "...in the Name of Jesus..." if you are trying to conjure power to your prayer by invoking the name of Jesus, because incanting the name of Jesus is akin to casting a magic spell.

   To "invoke" means to call on (the name of God), to resort to (God's power), or to conjure (summon, or cause to appear, as in magic). To "incant" means to chant a word or words in a magic spell.

   The problem with casting magic spells is that there is an appealing nature to it. People who get into casting magic spells are aware that there is in fact an unseen world of beings filled with angels and demons. The idea is that by casting spells, you can supposedly control things in the unseen world, or have angels or demons do things for you. This is why people get into the occult - they want to have power to control things around them. That is why they cast spells. The reality is, we do not have the power to control anything in the unseen world, and we have no authority to control angels or demons - but those unseen beings have the power to control us. What people who play with occult practices eventually find out is, they are not controlling anything - they are under the control of demons.

   We do not actually have the power to cast out demons. And we do not have the power to bind satan. When Paul cast out demons, it was the power of the Holy Spirit at work, not Paul's words. God has the power, and it is entierly up to Him if He wants to cast out a demon or to bind satan. We do not have the power to cast out demons in the name of Jesus, but we do have the ability pray to God and to ask Him to get rid of the demon if it is His will to do so, and the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in the heart of the believer will be manifest according to God's will. We must recognize that we do not have the ability to manipulate God's power. Followers of Christ do not wield power - they are subject to the power of their Master Jesus.

   The Bible is very specific about the occult - God commands us to have nothing to do with casting spells, divination, talking to the dead, or playing with any kind of darkness. The reason He commands this is because it causes people to put their trust in something other than Himself, and He knows it leads to bondage, the exact opposite of salvation.

   People who are false converts of Christ are more apt to end their prayers "...in the name of Jesus..." as an external means of making their prayers sound authentic, in the same way most people wear "WWJD" jewelry. They have a relationship with the piece of jewelry, but not with Jesus Himself. Read Acts 19:13-16; 

   "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." [NIV]

   In this passage, there were seven men who were trying to cast out demons by invoking the name of Jesus. The evil spirit answered them "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" And then the demon possessed man beat them up. Why did their attempt to cast out the demon fail? They failed because they were trying to use The LORD's name like a magic spell. They must have heard about Paul, or had seen the Holy Spirit's power working through Paul, they must have liked what they saw, and thought they could conjure the same power. The difference? Paul had a right relationship with God, and the seven sons of Sceva did not have a right relationship. The power of God is not manifested by casting spells or by invoking His name - such is a misuse of His holy name, and may even fall into the category of taking The LORD's name in vein - a very serious sin! The power of God is manifested when a sinner submits to the power and authority of The LORD Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit takes residence inside the heart of the believer. Power is not for us to use and abuse!

Conclusion

   There are followers of Christ who do have a right relationship with The LORD, who end their prayers by saying "...in the Name of Jesus we pray...", who have a right understanding - they know that God is in control, and they recognize that. But some don't know what they are doing.

   So, the next time you pray, make sure that you are not trying to conjure power by invoking the name of Jesus in an attempt to make your prayer authentic. As long as you are open and honest with God while you pray, and as long as you recognize that the power and authority rests with God Himself, then your prayer is as authentic as it needs to be. Read Romans 8:26,27;

   "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." [NIV]

All Scripture quotations, unless noted otherwise are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.