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Introduction:
When fifth Sunday’s roll around, it has become our habit to have
a brief lesson before our congregational meeting. This lesson
usually covers a question that someone has asked. If you would
like a question considered for one of these lessons, you can
e-mail me or you can drop a note in the box outside my office with
your name and the question. Today’s question is one that I have
heard often asked and people continue to ask:
Can we pray to Jesus or should we only pray to the Father? Discussion: I.
The general rule and example of Scripture. A.
The perspective of most people I have talked to says that
we pray to the Father, through the Son. Therefore, we should not
pray to the Son, or the Spirit for that matter. B.
Certainly, it is true that prayer in the Bible is generally
offered to God, the Father. Just a handful of examples demonstrate
this. In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas prayed and sang to God in prison. In Romans
10:1, Paul’s prayer was to God. In Romans
15:30, Paul asked for the brethren to pray to God on His
behalf. According to Philippians 4:6, through prayer we let our requests be made known to
God. C.
Since the example of prayer is almost universally offered
to God, the Father, in the New Testament, I understand why so many
believe that is all that is authorized. However, I would like to
share some other principles. II.
Worship is to be offered to deity, not simply to God the
Father. A.
In Revelation 19:10;
22:8-9, John bowed down to worship an angel. The angel told
him not to do that. The reason, he was merely a servant just like
us. Instead, John was told to worship God. However, in Hebrews
1:6, all the angels are commanded to worship Jesus. In Matthew
28:9, the apostles worshipped Jesus without rebuke. B.
If we can worship Jesus because He is not merely a servant
but is God, then we can pray and sing praises to Jesus as well.
Remember, Jesus is the fullness of God (Colossians
2:9) and the exact representation of God (Hebrews
1:3). Jesus is just as much God as the Father is. Therefore,
barring some prohibition, we are able to pray to Jesus as well as
to the Father. III.
There are examples of prayer to Jesus. A.
A few moments ago, I said the example of prayer in the New
Testament is almost
universally offered to God, the Father. However, it is not
completely that way. B.
In Acts 7:59-60,
Stephen prayed to Jesus saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit.” This is supposed to remind us of Jesus’ cry to the
Father on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit” (Luke 23:46). C.
Then in Revelation
5:8-14, we see Jesus as the Lamb and the Father sitting on the
throne. The elders present golden bowls full of incense to the
Lamb. We are told what these bowls represent. They represent the
prayers of the saints. Then the elders, the living creatures, the
angels and the myriad of hosts pray and sing to the Lamb just as
they do to the Father. Conclusion: I certainly do not wish to encourage anyone to violate their conscience. If you feel you should only address prayer to the Father, then do so. I don’t believe the members of the Godhead are going to fight jealously about the addressee of our prayers. However, I also encourage you to not discourage your brethren who see the Biblical principles and examples as authoritative. The weight of evidence suggests to me that we are allowed to pray to Jesus.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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