In the Name of Jesus

Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except by Him - we recognize that when we pray in the name of Jesus, we are praying to the God of the Universe in the name of His Son, the name described as the name above every name. John 16 says:
23 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

So, God invites us to come before Him - and that access has been granted through Jesus Himself. So, when we come, we stand clothed in Christ, desirous to see His will performed in our lives, dedicated and reverential.  The name of Jesus is not a "magic" word that we throw around - when we speak His name, we are standing in solidarity with Him, we are expressing our desire to be aligned with His will, to release His power so that God and God alone would receive the glory.

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Jesus teaches us that we can pray in His name, the name above every name, according to Philippians chapter 2, praying with confidence and expectation. In John 14, Jesus said:

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it...

Yesterday, I spotlighted a school board member in California who was dedicated to having a godly influence in her community.  This can be motivational to each of us to be salt and light wherever we are called to serve.

Intercessors for America ran an article on its website earlier this month that told the story of another local school board member who was devoted to not only serving in that capacity, but praying for God to show up in a powerful way in that body.

An article on its website related:

The School Board of the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) in Oklahoma has a history of being very liberal. They also have rubber-stamped every liberal agenda presented by the superintendent of TPS.

In 2020, a group of believers started attending the school board meetings — praying before and during the meetings. E’Lena Ashley belonged to that prayer group. She decided to run for a vacant school board seat in 2022. She won.

The article goes on to say:

E’Lena has transformed the TPS school board. She invited experienced intercessors to pray over all the chairs in the room prior to school board meetings. She wisely refused to rubber-stamp the TPS superintendent’s yearly budget. As a result, a $343,000 embezzlement was discovered.

The actions in Tulsa, like those in California, have received national coverage.  

Then came what IFA calls, "The Prayer That Rocked the State."  Intercessors for America covered it in another article, stating that Ashley...

...stepped up to the podium on May 20, 2023, and prayed a simple prayer of blessing in the name of Jesus over the new graduates of Tulsa’s East Central High School. The firestorm that followed shook the town and, ultimately, the state.

This occurred at the commencement ceremony for the school. She prayed: “I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that each one of you would walk forward from this moment in the excellence and love of God. That He would guide you, direct you, and draw you to your ultimate goal.” Then, she gave her graduation speech.

The article notes: "The prayer lasted a mere 18 seconds, but that one mention of the name of Jesus set off a firestorm of adverse reactions far beyond reason, thrusting E’Lena into a vicious attack against her, personally."  For example:

The local newspaper derided her with a barrage of negative articles. Social media trolls called her names and harassed her. The Tulsa public school superintendent and a fellow board member wrote open letters condemning her for violating the U.S. Constitution and the TPS students’ religious rights. In a matter of days, the threats of lawsuits began. The first threat came from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. The organization’s website says it actively pursues cases it perceives to be violations of the First Amendment.

But thousands stood with E'Lena.  IFA reported:

The ramifications of her prayer spread throughout Oklahoma like the Fourth of July fireworks. Oklahoma’s conservative community got a taste of the spiritual resistance E’Lena endured, when they attended a public rally at which the Oklahoma secretary of education presented over 2,000 letters of support for E’Lena’s graduation prayer — amid heckling protesters.

E’Lena’s trial reminds us as intercessors to pray for newly elected school board members as they enter a position where the battle is intense and the persecution is real, especially for those who sincerely care about the students and their physical and spiritual well-being.

There is a prayer opportunity coming up this Friday, the day that once-fired football coach Joe Kennedy coaches his first game back at Bremerton High School in the state of Washington.  On its website, First Liberty, the legal organization who successfully defended the coach who had been dismissed for praying on the field following games, posted this:

To celebrate Coach Kennedy’s comeback, we’re calling on everyone to take part in the First Freedom Challenge: Take a Knee with Coach Kennedy campaign. We’re asking Americans to take a knee wherever they are in personal private prayer on Friday, Sept. 1.

This is a simple yet powerful step we can take to restore faith in our schools and communities. It could even help spark revival throughout our country.

You can learn more at rfia.org, which stands for Religious Freedom in America.  Then, type in /challenge.

Joe Kennedy believes in prayer.  Those who stand with him and those who will kneel with him this Friday do, too. And, in Tulsa that band of prayer warriors, which includes current school board member E'Lena Ashley, believe it, too - they've seen it.  Coach Kennedy and E'Lena Ashley faced opposition, but their commitment is strong.  That's a great word of encouragement for each of us.  We can continue to pray and stand strong in the name of Jesus, confident that He hears us and will respond as we stand with Him.

We can reflect on how God may have placed each of us strategically in a place of influence - as a parent with students in schools, in the workplace, in the church, maybe even in the grocery store or a local coffee shop.  We can be conscious of God's call and follow His direction as He provides open doors for us to testify to the presence of Jesus in us.