That Sunday morning, a Jehovah’s Witness leader gave the Bible lesson on prayer. —If we are encouraged to pray to Jesus, when should we pray to the Father? .'" We should not, however, make it our primary practice to make our requests toward him. Within weeks of Jesus’ return to heaven, his disciples were being harassed and threatened by their opposers. We pray because we love: In praying to his heavenly Father, Jesus set an example for us to follow HIS TEACHING: When one of his disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us how to pray,” Jesus replied: “Whenever you pray, say: ‘Father.’” I wasn’t sure whether or not it was right for us to pray directly to the Son and Spirit or whether we should specifically address the Father. There is a good reason for us to pray in Jesus name. Luke 11:2-4) As we can see in Scripture, Jesus prayed about everything. What is important is that we acknowledge in our hearts that our access to God in prayer is only through the “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. In some ways prayer is one of the most mysterious aspects of the Christian walk. 2:5). :SHOULD WE PRAY DIRECTLY TO JESUS? Jesus warns us not to “pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the corners of the streets, that [we] may be seen by men” (Matthew 6:5). All this is not to say that it is somehow a sin to make requests directly to Christ. So when we approach God we do so in the authority of Jesus Christ. We must keep in mind that by the time Jesus taught His disciples this prayer, they were already clean and forgiven of their sins (John 13:10). Lewis puts on his time-traveler’s hat and says, “My free act [of prayer] contributes to the cosmic shape. Should We Pray to Jesus? ^ par. 1:11). THE WATCHTOWER A Government Free of Corruption. You can pray directly to the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, and have total assurance that “His ears are open” to righteous Christians’ prayers ( 1 Peter 3:12 ). You can actually see a need to pray all around us, making it obvious why we should pray. Does the Bible Comment on Same-Sex Marriages. When we read the Bible, God speaks to us. God already knows our hearts. The Apostle Paul states, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His own Son, much more then, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10). Jesus both taught and showed us to whom we should pray. What is the purpose of prayer? When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, Jesus replied: “Whenever you pray, say, ‘Father, let your name be sanctified.’” ( Luke 11:2 ) Yes, “whenever,” or each time we pray, we should address, not Jesus or anyone else, but God himself. However, this is just one small but important reason why we should pray. Additionally, we shoud never direct them toward angels or objects such as crosses, the Shroud of Turin or any other thing created by the Eternal, as that would constitute idolatry. When we pray, we … All this is not to say that it is somehow a sin to make requests directly to Christ. This is a question many Christians, as well as people with other beliefs, have asked. Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? We should also make it clear that we are not saying that a Christian must pray to the Lord Jesus as part of his or her Christian walk. Because prayer is the means God has ordained for some things to happen. Why do we need to pray? Jehovah has reserved prayer only for himself.” After the service, I asked the leader to explain why we should only pray to the Father, and not to Jesus. We Should Pray To God every day for us to testify his work. Always start your prayers with "Our Father." Share on Facebook. We can seek His will in our own lives as we resist the evil one. Jesus instructs us to pray and even details exactly how we should pray in Matthew 6:9-13, in what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. Share Years later, the apostle Paul described the manner in which he and his associates prayed. If God is in control of human history and also directs individual lives, what’s the point of praying? . 2. Submission to His Will. “They raised their voices with one accord to God,” praying that he would continue helping them “through the name of [his] holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:24, 30) So the disciples followed Jesus’ guidelines on prayer. Jesus never said to ask, or pray, to Jesus himself, or to the holy spirit, but always to pray to the Father, but doing so by “calling upon the name of Jesus Christ.” So, while showing that we can call upon the name of Jesus, the Bible does not indicate that we should pray to him! Mary herself started acquiring this very exalted position as the Queen of Heaven and so people thought, I should pray to her mother to put in a good word with her, who will put in a good word with Jesus. In prayer, we are acknowledging that the only way to God is through Jesus. IF JESUS TAUGHT US TO PRAY TO THE FATHER, WHY SHOULD WE PRAY TO JESUS? Author:The Bible Why Guy Title:Why pray the blood of Jesus over things? Why Do Catholics Pray to Mary? Therefore, we should call upon the Spirit (that’s a type of praying), when we need His guidance and help. If we are to be obedient to His will, then prayer must be part of our life. I will call on him as long as I live.” *. We as Christians also should emulate that and have prayer time when and where it’s calm with no disruptions. . We can ask Him to send His angels to war against the demonic horde. HIS EXAMPLE: In line with the way he taught others to pray, Jesus personally prayed: “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” (Luke 10:21) On another occasion, “Jesus raised his eyes heavenward and said: ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me.’” (John 11:41) And as he was dying, Jesus prayed: “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) In praying to his heavenly Father—the “Lord of heaven and earth”—Jesus set a clear example for all to follow. For example, we can appropriate God-breathed prayers in Scripture as they match our own circumstances. Once while doing a weekend seminar on the cults, I took a few students on a field trip to a Kingdom Hall. For one thing, prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38) and obeying Him. * To find the answer, first let us consider how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. The Bible says that we are to “pray without ceasing” and that the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. For our petitions to be effective, we should mention we are speaking in his name near the end of our requests (See John 14:14, 16:23, 26). Prayer can clear human obstacles out of the way in order for God to work. In fact, the prayers of the Mass, the central act of Catholic worship, are directed to God and Jesus, not the saints. Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! who are unconscious and awaiting a resurrection from the dead like everyone else. God’s people have been doing that with the Psalms for thousands of years. In all such instances, the heavenly creatures initiated the communication. Indeed, St. Paul says that God grants blessings “in answer to many prayers… But a-lot of people are confusing with it. Or, should we only pray to the Father, or only pray to “God”? However, this is just one small but important reason why we should pray. We need to pray, because we need something beyond ourselves. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are acknowledging that, without the work of Christ, we would be alienated from God forever. . 6:9 when He said, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, holy is Your name.” What is the proper method of prayer? ^ par. (Matthew 11:25; 26:41, 42; 1 John 2:6) Is that how Jesus’ early disciples understood his instructions? While some might think it is best to pray to Jesus, and others might think we should only pray to the Father, God desires that we seek Him. Yet, as God's grace abounds, this list is permissive, meaning that it is how we can pray. We are to ask for his kingdom to come, for his will to be done as in heaven, for him to give us daily bread, for the forgiveness of our sins, that we would be kept from temptation and be delivered from evil. The Disciples Prayed to Jesus After the ascension, with Jesus no longer with them, the disciples understood they could still speak to Him, but now they did it through prayer. 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