[Pray] in the Holy Spirit… Jude 20
Once you’ve grasped that there’s one God, and that He’s not whoever you want Him to be, the next question is “How do you come to Him?” That depends on what you want to receive.
The Bible uses the picture of a throne to help us understand. There is one God, but more than one throne. That’s easy to understand, for a person from Great Britain. There is one king in Britain, but he has several thrones, and each throne relates to a different function.
Likewise, there is one God, but He has more than one throne. There’s a “great white throne” (Rev. 20:11) where God administers justice. And there’s “the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16). You can come to the great white throne any way you want. But if you want to come to the throne of grace, you need to come through Jesus.
The Bible tells us to hold firmly to the faith we profess (Heb. 4:14) and to approach the throne of grace with confidence so we may receive grace to help us in our time of need (4:16). Access to the throne of grace comes through our great high priest, Jesus the Son of God.
So “in the name of Jesus Christ” isn’t a tagline at the end of our prayers. It’s foundational. We’re invited to come to the Father through the Son. So, if you’re looking for grace, there’s no other way to pray but in the name of Jesus, because God’s grace comes to us through Him.
When you pray, are you coming to God any way you want? Or through Jesus? What difference does it make?
