As a technician, it can be easy to become self-reliant. We are known as problem-solvers. We can regularly pull rabbits out of hats and make last-minute miracles look like part of a routine, ho-hum day in the office.
We eat stress for breakfast and anxiety for lunch. We’re accustomed to everyone around us coming to us for help, and after a while, it can be natural to even see ourselves as the smartest one in the room.
But the more this happens, the more comfortable we may become relying upon our own strength and abilities—and the easier it can become to forget the importance of serving as a channel or conduit for the supernatural power of God.
When church becomes work, our senses can become dulled over time, and the things we used to see as special can now become run-of-the-mill. We take for granted certain opportunities or outcomes, and we can lose the wonder in the work we do.
What once was powerful now becomes mundane. The intentional transforms into the mindless.
More is accomplished supernaturally by the name of Jesus than by any other means.
Even the words we use can become cliché, and our pre-service prayers can be just one more thing to check off the to-do list.
Many of us may think nothing of wrapping up our prayers and blessings with an “in Jesus’ name, Amen” tag as we prepare to head to the booth or stage; that’s the way we’ve done it for years, and it’s just a jargon routine we have settled into.
But what does that really mean? And do we really mean it?
The Bible continually proclaims that the name of Jesus is the most powerful name we could ever say. That’s the key to having demons tremble, chains break, and the floodgates of heaven open.
More is accomplished supernaturally by the name of Jesus than by any other means.
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his." Daniel 2:20 (NIV)
Unfortunately, though, it can be easy for many of us to subconsciously pray our ministry prayers in a different way.
“God, this is gonna be a hard service today. Stuff changed last-minute and there’s a ton of pressure to get it all right. Lots of people are counting on this working smoothly. I’ve done this a bunch, and I feel pretty confident that I can make it happen again. After all, I spent several years freelancing before I came to work at this church, and I trained all the volunteers myself. I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet, and after this all works out, it’s gonna feel pretty good to get patted on the back by the senior pastor when he thanks me for doing such a great job. In my own name, Amen.”
When I’ve done something so much, it can become easy to think that I’m able to accomplish it by my own means. And granted, maybe that’s true. I’m probably a pretty competent person who has some training that’s enabled me to solve problems. My natural mind and abilities have probably enabled me to achieve some measure of success.
But leaning on ourselves and our own names will only get us so far. There’s a critical point in ministry where all of us need to realize that, while we can probably have some success on our own, there’s no way to be all God needs us to be (or has called us to be) while only relying on our own strength.
Supernatural power goes beyond the natural. Choosing to see it and sense it is a step that leads away from speaking into my own name, ability, and reputation, and replacing my name with the Name that’s above every other name.
Operating in Jesus’ name means that there’s no room for my own name anymore. I’m laying down my own sense of identity and ability and exclusively leaning on His. It’s not about my own resume or skills, but about His.
There’s power in the humility of knowing that we are just vessels for God to use however He chooses.
It’s an act of submitting my will, saying that while I want or believe certain things, ultimately I know that I’m called to serve Him above all else. And I willingly choose to follow the path that He sets.
It’s a process of me ceding control of my own life and circumstances. I acknowledge that, while I could probably make decisions on my own, things will work out much better if I let Him lead. I’m moving over and letting Jesus take the wheel.
There’s power in the humility of knowing that we are just vessels for God to use however He chooses. And there’s excitement and freedom that comes from knowing that when I make that choice, I don’t have to carry the weight of expectation anymore. It’s not up to me to make everything work out. I get to lean on Him instead of myself!
Maybe it’s hard to do that. Maybe it feels good to know that I get the accolades from making things work out, and I’m at a place in life where I need that affirmation to feel valuable.
Hopefully, I’m able to take the steps of knowing that my security and purpose come from who I serve, not what I do. That my identity and value is stable, not subject to fluctuation based on how well I perform.
When I’m able to get to that place, then I can truly step into the power that comes from resting in His identity, not my own. I can have peace and know that regardless of what happens, the supernatural power of Jesus can flow through me to do far more than I could ever do on my own.
And when I bow my head to pray and bless the team before our service, I can be confident that we will be part of something special. Not because of who we are or what we’ve been trained to do, but because of the choice we made to work for an Audience of One and give Him the glory for all that happens.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
