How should Christians pray? Who exactly do they pray to? Since Christians believe in the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) can we then pray to anyone of the Trinity?
First off let me say that God sees our hearts and knows when we are calling on him even when we get the order a little skewed or we use the "wrong" words or when we just don't know exactly what to say. God knows and God hears us when we call on him.
Let's look at what Jesus taught about prayer. When asked by his disciples that he teach them how to pray he gave them what we now call The Lord's Prayer." It begins with the words, "Our Father" which means that it is directed towards God the Father.
When Jesus prayed who did he pray to? He prayed to his and our Heavenly Father. In several passages of scripture he directed his disciples to ask the Father but to do so in the name of Jesus. Not a formulaic kind of phrase but rather under the authority of Jesus we may come freely and boldly directly to the Father. (John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24, 26-27)
What about the Holy Spirit? Can we pray to him since he is also God?
There is no indication in scripture that we are to pray to the Holy Spirit but rather we are told over and over again to pray "in" in the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit prays through us when we don't know what to pray. So the Holy Spirit directs prayers through us to the Heavenly Father.
So we pray to our Heavenly Father, in the name of (or under the authority of) Jesus, in the Holy Spirit. Does that mean that God does not hear us if we pray incorrectly? Or that we should follow the formula exactly?
Remember that God is not into formulas. He's into relationships. When we are in right relationship with him through faith in Christ then as we pray even if we don't get it right all the time we know that God hears us. Too often we get wrapped up in trying to follow some sort of pattern or formula when our focus is simply talking to our Heavenly Father and bearing our souls to him in prayer.
As we mature in our Christian faith we learn to prayer better, fuller prayers but we should not look down on those who are still learning to pray. They will get it in time. It's the journey and how we walk with God that matters.
So in closing, we pray to our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus in the Holy Spirit.
11 comments:
What an excellent answer. My hubby asked this question. He asked a Christian at work and she gave a different answer. Your answer is very clear and easily understood. I hope it helps him.
I like that answer very much. God hears us when we pray, period. It doesn't even matter if we say his name or not. If our intentions are pure and our motivates honest, he'll listen and answer.
In Acts 17, Paul went to Athens and found a religous, but confused group of men. They prayed to many different gods because they were searching for answers. They even prayed to an "UNKNOWN GOD". Paul was the answer to their prays. He came and taught them who that "UNKNOWN GOD" was. The only God that can hear you pray... No matter where you are, what you say, how you say it, or who you say it to.
Wow, Last night at the study bible I was going to ask you this question (but we have too much fun with the study we ran out of T).
No so much about how to pray, but the fact that I found myself praying to The Father and I used the name of Jesus to let The Father know that I am saved and justified thru him and that this is Wilfredo asking and talking to him about something in my heart. At the beginning I pray recognizing Him as the creator and the only God, father of Jesus Christ. But the concern on my mind for the last month or so is or was, I pray to the father in the name of Jesus but I get the sense that that kind of prayer is not bringing me to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I really would like to read the opinion on this from you all.
Wilfredo
that's interesting wilfredo. i never thought of it that way. for me it's always like "well they are the same person anyway! no matter what name i say..i'm talking to the same person anyways!"...
that's how i always looked at it..but i do remember that jesus' purpose is to bring us into relationship with the Father..."no one comes to the father except through me"..so the goal is to have relationship with God the Father really.......?
maybe that will take us in a direction! :)
ester
and burk...everyone knows you're the only one who would even sign your name like that!!! :)
Oh, ask a pastors son in law but which one is Burk!!! I was thinking it was Sam :)
Last night I read Pastors recent blog Who Do Christians Pray to my husband who really wanted to know. I originally gave him the answer Ester gave Wilfredo. He immediately started saying Pastor always talks in circles and never gives a straight answer. I felt it was a very good and a straight answer. He says if you can't pray to all three then the whole concept of the trinity is wrong. It's not really 3 in one -equal all different forms of the same God. Anyway, have you ever tried talking with someone who is just got their mind set on finding fallacy in everything you say no matter what you say...well, that's just how I feel about it. I read a little quote in last sunday's bulletin that said basically said in a nutshell...you can refuse to listen to me or any argument I may present but you can't get away from my prayers. That's about how I feel.
Thanks,
This blog came in the nick of time for me.
I'm so glad that your answer came right on time Wilfredo. Isn't that just like God. Always right on time. Thank you Jesus.
Thank you Jesus in deed. It confirms that we are never along.
I pray to the father and I buit a relationship with Christ Jesus every minute, every day. And like Forest Gump, "And that's all I got'it say about that".
So true...and I love that movie Forest Gump. My family has watched that movie a dozen or me times. What I really like about Forest is he is so guenuine and honest. His word means everything. His love for Jenny lasted his whole life through. Remember when his little son rode the bus to school on his first day and Forest told him he'd be waiting right there for him when he gets home from school? Remember how he really literally sat right there and waited : )
I have a friend who is 88 years old. She grew up in the Assembly of God church her entire life. One day after church service she asked why do we celebrate communion? What is the purpose of doing it? I thought that was an interesting question coming from someone who has celebrated communion her entire life. I guess it goes to show that we can go through the motions for years and still not truly understand exactly what it is we are doing and what it means.
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