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| He
gives me delegated authority to sign His name to my prayers. |
| Photograph by Graham Cooper |
As assistant to a dean at a university, I am authorized to sign his name to certain documents. With this authorized signature, a student might get into a class he might not otherwise be allowed to take, or he might have his requested course load approved, have a grade changed, or some other request. With this signature, a faculty member might gain special dispensation for certain requests.
As I started to sign the dean's name on a permission card the other day, the phone rang and I was distracted by the voice on the other end. While answering the phone, I wrote my own name. When I realized what I had done, the student had to fill out a new permission card. This time I signed the dean's name. When the student left, I reflected on that incident. If I had left my own name on his card, it would have been sent back. But, since I signed the dean's name, there was no question as to the authority of the signature. Even though I wrote my initials after his name, it was an authorized signature and gained the privileges requested. Dr. Nelson is the one who earned his degree and position. I have no authority of my own. But, I have delegated authority (on a limited basis) to sign his name.
When we, through repentance and surrender of our lives to Him, trust in Jesus' Christ's death on the cross as full payment for our sins, every prayer we pray after that, that is according to His will, is in Jesus' name. Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). When I am in Christ, He gives me delegated authority to sign His name to my prayers (1 John 13-14). I write Jesus Christ/dh. And it has the same authority as if Jesus signed it Himself. There are other commandments that Jesus told us to do in His name. And with the admonition, he also gave us the authority.
When your life here is over and you stand before God, will you be crying out for mercy in your own powerless name? Or will you look to your Advocate (Jesus Christ), who has all power and authority and hear Him say, "Father, because he repented of his sins and acknowledged the payment for them by the blood that I shed for him on the cross, I have signed my name in the Book of Life beside his. He has been totally forgiven and fully pardoned."
Copyright Daphne Harrington 2000