Does A Prayer Have To End With Or Begin With In The Name of Jesus?
No.
It is important to understand the meaning of the phrase “in the name of Jesus.” It is a common figure of speech which refers to the authority of someone or something (for instance, “open up in the name of the law”, means “by the authority of the law, you must open your door’).
Jesus taught His disciples how to pray while He was working in His earthly ministry. When He ascended into heaven, he not only sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:1-4) but also became the Mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5). A meditator has the capability of being able to serve both sides. Jesus fits that perfectly since He is both God and man. When Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14:13-14, He says: “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (also, look at John 16:23,24). Jesus further states in John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Also, look at John 15:16: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” When Jesus is invoking His own name to be used, He is meaning His authority. The disciples would be able to do these activities in the name (or by the authority) of Jesus.
There is no set formula that must be stated at the end of a prayer to God through Jesus. In fact, a righteous person could justifiably end his prayer with the following words: “Lord, we love you and we wish to be with you in heaven forever. Amen.” If that man was following 1 Timothy 2:8 along with the other instructions of the Scriptures on prayer, then his prayer would be acceptable to the Father as it goes through the Meditator, Jesus. At the same time due to the false philosophy of pluralism, it would be expedient to mention “in the name of Jesus” at the end of public prayers in light of the fact that many are now worshiping Islam’s god or Buddha’s god. By mentioning “in Jesus’ name”, the one praying is acknowledging publicly that his prayer is directed to God through Jesus (not Mohammed, Buddha, etc.).
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