Sometimes you will hear Christians speak approvingly of using a principle of ‘Name it and claim it’ when praying for things. They say that it is good Christian practice often to name something before God in prayer and claim the answer in faith.
It is also quite
common to hear Christians speak disapprovingly of naming and claiming things
in faith. They say that Christian prayer should not be like this and that it
encourages believers to selfishly treat God like some sort of vending machine.
So who has got this
right? Should we name and claim things in faith or shouldn’t we?
I would suggest that the
principle of naming things before God and claiming them in faith is a good
and biblical one, although it is important not to misunderstand this kind of
prayer and to see its limitations.
Actually, although
the principle of naming and claiming is a good one, because the precise label ‘Name
it and claim it’ tends to be connected quite closely to the mistaken teaching
that is known as the ‘Prosperity Gospel’, I think we do better to avoid using
this label itself. But the basic principle is a good one generally as far as
prayer is concerned.
Mark 11:24
An important verse on this topic is Mark 11:24, where
Jesus teaches:
‘Whatever things you pray and ask
for, believe that you have received them, and they will be yours.’
Here Jesus commands His followers to claim things in
faith when praying. He is encouraging us to go boldly to God and say, ‘Lord, I
ask You to do x, y and z, and I believe that You are going to do them.’
Jesus actually uses a past tense – ‘you have received’
– instead of a future – ‘you will receive’ – but the idea is that the person
praying is so confident of receiving the answer in the future that it is as if
they have already received it.
Although, as I have said, we do better to avoid the
label ‘Name it and claim it’, Jesus is clearly encouraging us in this verse to
treat prayer in this sort of way.
This only applies to things that
are the will of God
It is interesting to note that although Mark 11:24
mentions the condition of believing/faith for a prayer to be answered, nothing
is said about the condition of asking for something that is the will of God.
Importantly, however, language generally, as well as
biblical language, often expects the reader to understand unexpressed
conditions that are treated as obvious. And it should be obvious that Jesus
means us to understand that this promise of God answering our prayers asked in
faith only applies to prayers that are for things that are the will of God. If
something isn’t the will of God, Jesus’ words certainly don’t apply.
So, for example, suppose that a certain Christian is
somehow deceived into believing sincerely that God wants to give him a red
Ferrari, although this is not the will of God at all. So he prays for this,
genuinely expecting to receive it.
Will God give it to him? Absolutely not! Jesus’ words
in this verse are in no way saying that God is somehow obligated to answer a
prayer that is against His will, just because a Christian happens to wrongly
think that it is His will.
Mistakes of those who approve of
naming and claiming
There is no doubt that some Christians who say they
approve of naming and claiming things in faith do try to abuse this principle
for selfish gain. They have failed to understand that the approach to prayer
outlined in passages like Mark 11:24 is essentially not about getting God to
give us things we like (although that will happen sometimes) but about being
involved in God’s work of building His church.
It isn’t that Christians are supposed to call the shots
and get God to fit in with our prayers. Rather, we are supposed to claim things
in faith that glorify God and advance His work in the world. It should be all
about Him, not us.
Mistakes of those who disapprove of
naming and claiming
On the other side, some Christians who say they
disapprove of naming and claiming things in faith seem to throw the baby out
with the bath water.
By all means, let us avoid the approach of those who
want to abuse prayer for selfish gain. But let us be crystal clear too that the
Bible contains passages like Mark 11:24 that teach us to name and claim things
in faith, even if we avoid that exact label.
Here is the verse again:
‘Whatever things you pray and ask for, believe that you
have received them, and they will be yours.’
Note how this verse contains not just a suggestion for
how we should pray but a command. And there is not the slightest doubt that
this command applies just as much to Christians living today as it did in the
days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It’s not optional for us to do this. It is the
way that the Lord Himself has instructed us to pray.
See also:
Every
Christian Should Be a Prayer Information Hub
Getting
the Balance between Expecting Too Little and Too Much from Prayer
