The Power of the Holy Name: Persistent Prayer in Times of Struggle

The Holy Name Above All Names

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a day that reminds us of the incomparable power contained in that sacred name. As we gather this morning, I want to share with you a profound truth that has sustained believers through centuries of struggle and triumph.

In John 14:14, our Lord Jesus makes us an extraordinary promise: "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." Think about those words for a moment. Jesus doesn't say "maybe" or "perhaps." He says "I will do it." This is not merely a suggestion or a nice thought—this is the Son of God extending to us an invitation to experience His living reality through the power of His holy name.

But here's what strikes me most about our Lord's character: Unlike people who might say "don't mention my name" when they help us, Jesus urges us to use His name. He wants us to call upon Him. He wants us to experience His reality. This reveals the depth of His love for us—He doesn't want to remain a distant concept in our lives, but a living, active presence we can turn to in every moment of need.

God lives and works today, dear friends. And who experiences His reality the most? Those who often call upon the name of Jesus in prayer. Such people have experienced His reality through the centuries, to their great joy.

Saints Who Persevered in Prayer

Throughout Church history, we see countless examples of saints who discovered the power of persistent prayer in Jesus' name during their darkest struggles. Let me share two remarkable examples that illuminate this truth.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century mystic, wrote extensively about the sweetness of the name of Jesus. During times of intense spiritual warfare and physical persecution, Bernard would repeatedly invoke the holy name. He wrote, "The name of Jesus is not only light but also food... it is oil, without which all food of the soul is dry." When facing opposition to his monastic reforms and enduring personal attacks, Bernard found strength not in human wisdom or political maneuvering, but in calling upon Jesus' name with unwavering persistence.

Consider also St. Joan of Arc, that remarkable young woman who heard the voice of God calling her to save France. When she stood trial for her life, facing learned theologians who questioned her divine mission, what sustained her? The constant invocation of Jesus' name. Even as the flames consumed her body, witnesses reported that her final word was "Jesus." She understood this profound truth: nothing is so important in our lives as fighting the battle of faith, by calling upon the name of Jesus.

These saints knew something we must rediscover: the name of Jesus is not a magic formula, but a doorway into relationship with the living God. As Scripture tells us in Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

The saints understood that calling upon Jesus' name requires more than casual mention—it demands the recognition of our desperate need for His help and deliverance.

The Reality of Spiritual Battle Today

We all sense how the powers of darkness are threatening our world today. The commandments of God have been rejected on a massive scale. Injustice, criminality, violence, all kinds of addiction and rebellion against God have gained the upper hand. We are in danger, beloved. But we are not without hope.

Look around our society and you'll see what happens when people forget the name of Jesus. Families are torn apart, communities are divided, and individuals struggle with depression, anxiety, and despair. The Apostle Paul warned us in Ephesians 6:12 that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

This is not a battle we can win through human effort alone. Political solutions, social programs, and personal willpower, while they may have their place, cannot address the spiritual root of our crisis. Only one thing can help us: to call upon the name of Jesus.

But here's what we must understand—this calling upon Jesus' name is not passive resignation. It's active spiritual warfare. When we invoke the name of Jesus, we're not retreating from the battle; we're engaging with the most powerful weapon in the universe. As Paul writes in Philippians 2:9-11, "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

The name of Jesus brings help and deliverance in every situation. Whether you're facing financial hardship, relationship struggles, health challenges, or spiritual dryness, there is power in that holy name to bring breakthrough and transformation.

The Long Struggle of Persistent Prayer

Now I must tell you something that's crucial to understand: it's not enough to call upon the name of Jesus once. This is a long struggle, and there may be many apparent defeats. However, if we don't get tired of calling upon Jesus' name, we can be assured of final victory.

Who calls upon the name of Jesus often? Those who know that they need help and deliverance. Those who know something of the horror of sin, and the reality of their own chains of sin. This isn't about perfection—it's about recognition. It's about acknowledging our desperate need for a Savior.

Jesus knows how unhappy our sin makes us, and He wants to make us happy, because He loves us so much. Therefore, He wants to free us from all of our bondages to sin, and this happens when we call upon His name in our prayers.

Think of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, who kept coming to the unjust judge until she received justice. Jesus told this parable to teach us "that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." If an unjust judge will eventually respond to persistence, how much more will our loving heavenly Father respond to our persistent calling upon Jesus' name?

Consider also the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28, who refused to give up even when Jesus initially seemed to ignore her pleas. Her persistence in calling upon Him—"Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David"—eventually moved Jesus to declare, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire."

The struggle is real, beloved. There will be days when heaven seems silent, when your prayers feel like they're bouncing off the ceiling, when the enemy whispers that God has forgotten you. But this is precisely when we must persist in calling upon the name of Jesus. Victory often comes not in the first prayer, but in the hundredth, the thousandth prayer offered in faith.

The Promise That Never Fails

Could there be any greater privilege than to be able to call upon this name of Jesus? For Jesus keeps His word. Let me read again His promise from John 14:14: "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."

This promise has sustained believers through persecution, poverty, illness, and every imaginable trial. It sustained the early Christians as they faced the lions in the Roman Colosseum. It sustained the martyrs throughout Church history. It sustained our spiritual ancestors who faced religious persecution and maintained their faith at great personal cost.

But what does it mean to ask "in Jesus' name"? It's not a magical formula we tack onto the end of our prayers. To pray in Jesus' name means to pray according to His character, His will, and His purposes. It means aligning our hearts with His heart, our desires with His desires.

When we truly pray in Jesus' name, we're not trying to manipulate God into giving us what we want. We're surrendering ourselves to what He wants. We're saying, "Lord Jesus, I trust You completely. I believe that You know what's best for me better than I know myself. I'm calling upon Your name not just for what You can give me, but for who You are."

The promise is certain because Jesus Himself is certain. As it says in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." The same Jesus who calmed the storms on Galilee, who healed the sick, who raised the dead, who conquered sin and death on the cross—that same Jesus is available to you today through the power of His holy name.

If you too long for God to be more than just a concept in your life, I urge you to begin calling upon the name of Jesus with new fervor and persistence. Don't be discouraged by apparent delays or seeming defeats. Keep calling upon His name. Keep trusting in His promise. Keep believing that He who began a good work in you will complete it.

Let us carry with us this precious privilege—the right to call upon the name that is above every name. Let us make it our practice to invoke His holy name throughout each day, in times of joy and times of struggle, in moments of victory and moments of defeat.

For in that name—the name of Jesus—there is power, there is hope, there is deliverance, and there is eternal life. May His holy name be ever on our lips and ever in our hearts. -F.D.