The Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen Kendrick & Alex Kendrick
Week 9: Chapter 8 — Praying in Jesus' Name
Read Chapter 8 of The Battle Plan for Prayer. Key passages: John 14:13–14; John 16:23–24; Acts 3:6; Philippians 2:9–11.
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We close our prayers with 'in Jesus' name' so often that the phrase can become a formula rather than a declaration — this chapter reclaims its staggering significance.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The Kendricks argue that praying 'in Jesus' name' is not a magic phrase that guarantees results, but an expression of praying in accordance with Jesus' character, authority, and will. How does this understanding change the way you think about those words?
2.John 14:13–14 records Jesus' promise to do 'whatever you ask in my name.' What conditions and context surround this promise in John 14–16? How do those conditions prevent this verse from being treated as a blank check?
a.How do you distinguish between praying in Jesus' name (aligned with His purposes) and simply attaching the phrase to a self-serving request?
b.What does it mean that Jesus promises to do these things 'so that the Father may be glorified in the Son'? How does God's glory function as the filter for our requests?
3.The Kendricks use the illustration of an ambassador acting in the name of their nation's leader — with full authority but also full accountability to represent that leader faithfully. How does this image reshape your sense of what it means to pray as a representative of Jesus?
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