Anonymous
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Jennifer Rothnie
Imagine a steward in charge of His Master's resources while the Master is away on a journey. The steward is free to requisition resources or make commands in the 'name of the Master,' however the purpose for those requests is to do the work of the Master and increase the Master's wealth or fame. The steward does not misuse the name of the Master to increase his own wealth, health, or fame.
In Jn 14, the purpose of asking things in Jesus' name is specifically to glorify the Father.
This is one reason that miracles were frequent in the early church, including healing, when they helped back up the testimony of God. Miracles and healings are still frequent in areas of the world where the gospel is just starting to make inroads.
Yet miracles and healings are less frequent in countries where the gospel has already spread. Why? Because unbelievers are less likely to give glory to God for them and more likely to treat them as coincidence.
Danny Hickman
You need to bottle that explanation and patent it in the name of the Lord. Great answer Jennifer! The key to praying is to pray for the purpose of God's glory to be put on display. The glory of God should be the purpose for all that we do. We should desire healing for the glory of God. And the catch to it all is that it can't be faked.
God's glory is God's purpose and it needs to be ours. And the catch to it is that it can't be faked.
When it's not in God's plan and purpose to heal we often put our will above His and call into question His power to heal instead of His purpose. We want our purpose to be His purpose.
Danny Hickman
Which means we want our glory, which is our real purpose, to be His purpose. It will never be, so there will always be a divide between our faith in God's version of His glory, and our desire for things to turn out to our liking.