To everyone who knew him Bruce had it together. He had a great family, a good job, he was the kind of person we'd all like to have as a friend. But unseen to all deep down inside Bruce wrestled with a sense of disappointment in his life with God. There was a time when Bruce prayed regularly. But now except for church he hardly prayed at all. And even then for Bruce prayer and worship both seemed empty, meaningless. One day Bruce shared his feelings with a friend. The friend, also a member of the church surprised Bruce with a simple answer. Try praying in Jesus' name.

Sometimes the answer to life's perplexing questions seems almost too simple. For Bruce this was one of those times. But the friend was someone he trusted, so he decided to give it a try. He began again to let prayer be a regular part of his day; ending with the words, In Jesus' name. Before long something happened. His soul's ‘disappointment' began to fade, his prayer life revived. He even brought the words into worship, at different points in the service silently he'd pray, In Jesus' name.

Of all the things in life that are easily taken for granted, God must surely be high on the list. All too easy to skip devotions, to neglect personal bible study, and all too easy to take for granted the words of grace God offers in Jesus' name. We may even begin to treat Jesus' name as religious formula; as if just because we end prayer in ‘the name' God will give the answer we desire. There was once a young man who while praying early one morning, complained in his prayer, Lord I just don't feel as close to you as I used to. The problem as the young man soon learned was not that God had left him . . . but the other way around. In that moment the solution became clear. Repent. Repent and draw near to God with a true heart. Repent and know for certain that the name of Jesus is not a formula. Jesus' name, greater than any name is the reason we can pray and worship in the first place.

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name! We love the hymn. We know it's true, Jesus name is the name above all names. His name describes the essence of who He is: the salvation of the Lord. So-- Who could ever take for granted; who could miss out on so great a salvation? Once upon a time a Sunday school class prepared an Easter pageant. The teacher rehearsed the students carefully; each line memorized and polished, especially the all-important question, Who did Jesus die for? To which one of the students would then brightly answer, Jesus died for me! But then when it came time to present and the teacher asked, Who did Jesus die for? There was a long pause. Finally one of the children, a little girl raised her hand and said, The boy Jesus died for isn't here today. Moral of the story? When it comes to your prayer life, don't let the missing person be you.

In Jesus' name we find the answer to all our needs and prayers. His name is our refuge, our hope, our confidence, our perfect peace and His presence, even when your prayer remains unanswered.

Pastor Kelly Mitteis