Tell Him I Sent You

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Friday, February 13, 2015

Today's Title: Tell Him I Sent You

Today's Scripture: John 14:13-14

When I was a small boy, I was forever breaking things.  It seemed at times that everything I touched ended up in need of repair.  You might say I had the “other” Midas touch.  Instead of everything turning to gold, however, it turned into a disaster.  That’s usually when I took whatever needed repair to my dad, confident he could restore my bike, my toys, anything I had, to its original condition.

My dad didn't disappoint me.  Although he was busy, he would take the time to repair my broken toys.  This usually required some kind of replacement part or a tool that daddy didn't have.  So he would send me uptown to Ferguson’s hardware to get the things necessary to make the repairs.

Mr. Ferguson owned a large hardware store downtown.  It was located at the corner of Main and Mountain streets, right on the town square.  Each time daddy sent me there, he gave me the same set of instructions.  “Go to Ferguson’s and ask for such and such an item.”  I always protested just a little, saying Mr. Ferguson wouldn't listen to a little kid and I never had any money of my own to pay him.  Daddy always said the same thing, “Tell him I sent you and to charge it to me!”  This was a magic formula and when I used it, I got exactly what I needed to get the job done.

Over two thousand years ago, Jesus told his disciples essentially the same thing.  However, he wasn't sending them to Ferguson’s Hardware to buy parts to fix things that were broken.  Instead, Jesus shared a wonderful truth concerning prayer and the right way to ask God for the things needed to live the Christian life.  In John 14:13-14 Jesus tells his disciples, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  

At first glance, it seems that Jesus has given us a blank check to ask for whatever we wish and, unfortunately, many Christians believe just that.  They see God as the owner of a huge warehouse ready to dispense whatever we want as long as we ask for it in Jesus’ name.  This is a very dangerous understanding and use of the name of our Lord.  God hears and honors our prayers because of our relationship with Jesus but He does not simply fill out material requests whenever the mood strikes us.  The name of Jesus means so much more, it is above every name, and is the name at which every knee will one day bow.

Please notice in today’s passage a very interesting condition that Jesus places on this statement.  Jesus says he will answer requests made in his name so that “the Son may bring glory to the Father.”  This means that requests made in Jesus’ name must be requests that will glorify God Himself.  Since this is the condition, we have to ask ourselves if asking God for a new car will glorify Him.  It is not the car that is the problem but the reason for which the request is made.  When we come to God in Jesus’ name we must do so understanding just how precious that name is to God.  It is not a credit card used to purchase everything our hearts desire; it represents the very Son of God, the one who died for the sins of the world, the one whose every thought, action, and word glorified the Father.

When I went to see Mr. Ferguson, it was because of a legitimate need.  The store was filled with all types of things people needed to make repairs.  Since I had no money, I simply told Mr. Ferguson my dad had sent me and that he would pay for whatever I needed.  This was enough for Mr. Ferguson to give me what I needed to get the job done.  Mr. Ferguson never once gave me anything I didn’t need when I used my dad’s name.  You see, my dad was paying the bill so I had a great responsibility to obtain only the items necessary for the job at hand.

Do you see the parallel today in the Christian walk?  God has promised to meet all our needs according to His riches in Christ.  He is concerned and has obligated Himself to attend to our needs and to provide for them.  This is a wonderful promise and one that should give us much encouragement today. But we must also realize that using the name of Jesus in prayer carries with it great responsibility on our part.  Coming to God in Jesus’ name with a legitimate need is exactly what we are supposed to do.  Anything more is presumptuous; anything less is not biblical.  We must ask ourselves if our use of Jesus’ name is bringing glory to God today.