From Thy Throne… Dispense Pardon and Grace
Prayer isn’t knocking to be let in—it’s speaking from the inside, where we’re already seated with Christ.
E. Stanley Jones draws a sharp and necessary line in this entry between true Christian prayer and distorted religious traditions. He begins with Jesus’ own words in John 14:13—“Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it”—and unpacks what it means to truly pray in Christ's name. Jones makes it clear: praying “in His name” isn’t a formulaic closing line tacked onto the end of a wish list. It means praying in the spirit, authority, and nature of Jesus. And when that is the heart behind our prayer, the basis on which we are heard shifts entirely—it’s no longer about our personal goodness, our credentials, or our spiritual track record. It’s not about having some special spiritual status or "being good enough" to get God’s attention. It’s about Christ.
This changes everything. It levels the playing field. There are no spiritual elites in prayer. God isn’t listening more attentively to a saint in stained glass than to a struggling believer whispering in his kitchen. We’re heard—not because we have merit—but because we are in union with the One who does.
Jones then warns of a tragic distortion of this truth: prayers that elevate Mary to the position of a divine mediator, attributing to her the power to dispense grace and pardon from a throne. This, he says clearly, is not Christianity—it is a different religion altogether, one that replaces the exclusivity of Christ as the one Mediator with another object of devotion. His rebuke is not cruel—it is clarifying. It brings us back to Jesus, the only name through whom grace flows and prayers rise.
The heart of today’s reflection? Jesus alone is our access, our authority, our answer. In Him, we stand. Through Him, we pray. From Him, grace is given.
Journal Reflection in the Voice of the Holy Spirit
I do not require your eloquence, your résumé of good deeds, or your sense of worthiness to respond to your prayers. I respond to Christ in you—the hope of glory. You who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of My Son. You now live and move and have your being in Him, and it is through Him that your voice reaches Me.
You are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, not groveling below but abiding above. Your prayers do not ascend from earth alone—they rise from your spirit joined with Mine. You ask in His name when you speak from union, when your will echoes His, when your desires are shaped by the life of the Son within you.
There is no other Mediator. No saint, no matriarch, no revered name holds this role. Christ alone mediates. I have exalted Him and given Him the name above every name, that every tongue should confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of the Father. To ask in another’s name is to divert glory. To trust another throne is to leave the mercy seat vacant.
You do not need a second voice to convince Me to love you. You do not need a second heart to make yours acceptable. The blood of Christ speaks better things than any ritual, any intercessor, any borrowed righteousness. He is your righteousness. And His Spirit testifies with your spirit that you are Mine.
Stand in Him. Pray in Him. Walk in Him. There, you are heard.
(John 14:13; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 2:13; Acts 17:28; Ephesians 2:6; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Timothy 2:5; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 12:24; Romans 8:16)
Prayer in My Voice
Father, thank You that my voice reaches You not because of who I am but because of who Christ is in me. I rejoice that there are no big names in prayer—only the Name that is above every name. I stand secure in that Name, confident that the Spirit within me forms prayers aligned with Your will, and that You delight to respond—not reluctantly, but joyfully—because You see Your Son.
Thank You that I no longer have to measure up, grovel, or fear rejection. The door has been opened wide. I walk in with reverence and joy, knowing that all of heaven’s resources are mine in Christ. I lack nothing. I ask nothing more than what You have already given—Your Son, Your Spirit, Your favor, and Your ear. Today, I simply rest in You and speak from the union that already exists. And that is enough.
Devotional Credit:
In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
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