Lord, Teach Us To Pray

When I hear believers pray publicly, they often direct their prayers "all over the place". They may begin, "Dear Father", and before long, I hear "Dear Jesus", and then "Dear Lord" (in which case I’m no longer sure to whom they are praying!). Sometimes, they may even throw in a "Dear Holy Spirit". Many people who teach children have a strong tendency to teach them to pray by starting with, "Dear Jesus". Despite how well-meaning these believers may be, if we want to pray the way the Bible teaches us to do, we should always address our prayers to the Father.

Now I need to warn you that there are a few instances in the New Testament where believers appear to be praying to Jesus. People may use such verses to confuse you on this issue, because they themselves are already confused about it. An example of this is Acts 7:59-60, when the disciple Stephen is being stoned, and appears to pray to Jesus:

Acts 7:59-60

59 And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon {the Lord} and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

60 And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And having said this, he fell asleep. (NAS)

Another instance is at the end of the book of Revelation, when the author John says in Rev. 22:20

Rev. 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (NAS)

These are not instances of prayer in the usual sense. In these situations, the speakers were actually in the presence of Jesus Christ. They could see Him, hear Him, and talk to Him directly. These are direct conversations with Jesus by those who could actually see Him and hear Him. In the example of Stephen, we see this a couple of verses earlier, in Acts 7:56, when Stephen says,

Acts 7:56 and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

In the example of John, we see this at the beginning of the book of Revelation, in Chapter 1, verses 17-18:

Rev 1:17-18

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. (NAS)

It is clear that when we pray, the Bible tells us to pray to God the Father. Jesus prayed to the Father, and the Bible tells us that He continues to make intercession with the Father on our behalf. Likewise, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit also prays to the Father for us.

The second point I want to make about prayer is that the Bible tells us to pray "in Jesus name". We are told to do this in a number of passages in the New Testament. One such verse is John 14:13, and another is John 15:16:

John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (NAS)

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and {that} your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you. (NAS)