And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. (Acts 3:16 ESV)

Peter and John had just prayed for a lame beggar and his legs were healed at that moment so that he could walk. That man was so excited that he “clung” on to them not leaving their side. This stirred up a bit if a commotion, and a crowd started to gather around them with curiosity.

Peter noticed that they were in awe of him and John, thinking that they were the ones that performed the miracle. But he corrected them and gave all the credit to Jesus. Having “faith in his name” was all it took to for the man’s legs to be healed.

There is no magic in the name of Jesus, and it is not something that just anyone can say to get what they desire. The name of Jesus has divine power that only comes from him because he is Lord and God. And it is only by faith that we can make such requests for him to intervene. We have don’t have that kind of power, and I thank God for not giving it to us because we would become conceited, arrogant, and misuse it for selfish gain.

Jesus taught his followers to fully depend on him. He explained that his name alone carries a majestic weight and glory that no other individual possesses. He told the apostles, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it”(John 14:14). He also said, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen” (Matthew 21:21).

There is a power that we will see by having faith in Jesus. Miracles, wonders, and the transformation of lives (even our own) occur when we depend on him and do not doubt. However, we must remember that he is sovereign. If it is not in his will to grant our petitions, then we must be okay with that because he probably has a much more different answer to our prayers. The most important act of faith is for us to maintain it, even when we have not yet received the answers to our prayers. I reassure you that they will come in due time. We just need to stay connected to Jesus and learn whatever it is he is teaching us on our journey.