At the request of a reader,

what follows is an edited reprint of a column I wrote in 1997.

My thoughts are with this reader

and all who share her present anguish.

I was driving down the road

and pushed in a tape my sister had left in my car. The first line of the

song that came on went something like this: "Whenever two agree in

my name, they can ask what they will of the Father and it will be done.

..."

It has always bothered me the

way those words are so loosely tossed around. Don't get me wrong their

message is most comforting. However, in too many situations we try to

distort or twist their meaning for our own selfish gain. We do not always

accept them entirely in the context in which I believe they were intended

to be heard and claimed.

Of course I am just one opinionated

person, and many far more learned Bible scholars than I have attempted

to discuss the concept proposed here: that God answers the prayer of two

or more of his children who are agreed. But it is my opinion that the

whole of Scripture should be considered when laying claim to various truths

that we think make our lives a bit easier from time to time.

Do we fully understand the

"two or three gathered in my name" concept? In the early years

of our marriage, my husband and I had a joint checking account in his

name. If I wrote a check, I signed it "Mrs. Daniel Holt." And

if I sought to obtain anything with that signature, in his name, I always

tried to make sure he knew about my action and was in agreement with what

I sought to purchase in his name. (Honest, I did!) It was not always possible

to contact him about every single purchase; so, in order for that arrangement

to work, I had to get to know my husband rather well. In fact, I had to

learn to know him well enough to be able to make decisions even when I

could not consult with him.

I think it is a good idea to

know well anyone in whose name we attempt to do business. What bothered

me about the message conveyed in the song I mentioned is what I perceived

as too much emphasis on the "two or three gathered together"

and not enough emphasis on "in my name."

I don't want to oversimplify

this concept, but the bottom line is we sometimes get together and decide

among ourselves what's best for those we love and then we pray to that

end. We pray and believe and expect in force, only to grow weary and become

disappointed, and even bitter, because God did not do what we think he

said he would do if we agreed and asked. Or we look around us and wonder

who the guilty one is who is not in full agreement.

But do we ever consider the

impact of those three little words "in my name"? What does it

mean to ask for something in the name of Jesus?

I believe it means we have

to walk with him and talk with him and get to know him really get to know

him. Here again I don't want to shift too much emphasis toward how well

we know Him. Faith is the name of the game, not works. All the studying

of the Scriptures that I could ever do will never qualify me as knowledgeable

enough of Jesus to speak for him. But I do think it is possible to discern

his will and know what he would do in certain situations. We just have

to communicate with him. We have to walk with him and talk with him and

discuss the affairs of everyday living with him.

We have to ask him questions

and be patient until the answer comes. And it does come. Always. And he

answers in a voice we can hear and know. When we know that voice and listen

to it, it will lead us into truth and there, in that glorious realm of

truth, we will find the wisdom to know how to pray to our Heavenly Father.

... (The voice, of course, is that of the Holy Spirit. We must remember,

Jesus said he had to go to the Father so the Spirit could come to us ...

and he said his Spirit would be everywhere and respond to all, and lead

us into all truth.)

That, I suppose, is a point

I am trying to make. It is truth that we must seek to know. God's truth

for our questions, our lives, our many challenges, predicaments and heartaches.

Assuredly, miracles do happen when two or three pray in unison. Prayers

are heard and answers come. People and circumstances change. Grace reigns

over all when, united as one, we claim God's blessings in the name of

Jesus Christ.

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