Now, I believe there is nothing wrong with asking God to bless us. Through faith in Christ, we may boldly cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Gal. Verify your email address to gain unlimited access. 2. We should pray because that’s what He wants for us to do. 6:9). It is not wrong, of course, to occasionally pray directly to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. “But when he … Youth Pastor: Are You a Controversy Addict? The Apostle Paul writes, “Through [Jesus] we . Do not try to decide how God should answer a prayer. We Should Pray To God Every Day to Show We Are Grateful. 10 Thy kingdom come. The writer of Hebrews appealed to the Spirit’s personal and divine authorship of Psalm 95 when he wrote, “As the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice…’” The Spirit actively speaks through the Scriptures that He Himself inspired through the prophets. Lex orandi, lex credendi—“the law of praying is the law of believing”—is a maxim that originated in the fifth-century church. When Our Lord is said to be in ‘the form of God,’ therefore, He is declared, in the most express manner possible, to be all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of attributes which make God God” (B.B. In turn, I set out to study this issue in order to see whether or not my suspicions were right. Already receive Tabletalk magazine every month? Praying to God the Father. Jesus was the Master Teacher of prayer. We should also pray for the family members of our leaders, who often help to bear the load of leadership. Out of habit and duty? Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. To Ask for Forgiveness. But what should we pray? 2:5). Let your kingdom come. As a young Christian, I would often go to a weekly prayer meeting at the local church I attended. ‘ I tell you the truth. We can be confident in knowing that God will deliver us from the evil one, and take that same confidence to face whatever it is the day is going to bring us, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lastly, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us including leading us away from temptation, delivering us from evil (1 Corinthians 10:13). God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. … Wilhemus à Brakel states that “a true prayer proceeds from the Holy Spirit.” Apart from the Spirit, we are spiritually dead and have neither the ability nor the desire to pray (Eph. After all, the the Apostle Paul explicitly tells us that Christ has eternally been in “the form of God” (Phil. But He also prayed in front of others, such as the crowd of 5,000 men, besides women and children, whom He fed miraculously (Matthew 14:19). In 2001 he moved to Greenville, SC where he met his wife Anna, and attended Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. 4:6). First, prayer should ordinarily be directed to God the Father. I was fully convinced from the Scriptures that the Son is God in every way that God is God. Pray with humility – for this kind of prayer goes directly to the ear of God. The Father sent His Son into the world to redeem sinners and to reconcile us to Him (John 3:16; 2 Cor. B.B. Dr. Jon D. Payne is senior pastor of Christ Church Presbyterian in Charleston, S.C., convener of the Gospel Reformation Network, and author of In the Splendor of Holiness. Nevertheless, it is the pattern of Scripture that we pray to our Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. Learn why we should literally follow the Lord's instruction to pray day and night. The answer to this question not only guides our prayers in a practical way, but it reinforces essential Christian doctrine and fosters true piety. Second, as we consider whether or not we should pray to the Holy Spirit, it is important to understand that we cannot pray without the Spirit. Similarly, John 14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 2:5). … To the Father we pray with the psalmist, “Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray” ( Psalm 5:2 ). 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Doing so even underscores the divine personhood of the second and third persons of the holy Trinity. I will call on him as long as I live.” 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. have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. There is only one supreme Creator and sovereign God. How should we pray for America? Prayer For Love. He has His reasons, and He knows what is best for us, and prayer is one of the ways to accomplish His will in our lives. Occasionally, someone—with whom I was praying—would address God with the trinitarian formula, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” For whatever reason, I was more comfortable with that sort of address than I was with the singular address to the Son or Spirit. This biblical pattern accentuates the rich and instructive contours of the gospel of grace. We should continually be prompted to pray from our time in Scripture, and we should continually pray what Scripture says. Why do we pray? Love is not a feeling, it is an action. If so, maybe we should just pray silently, because then he wouldn't be able to step in and block our prayers. Jesus taught us to pray to God the Father in Matthew 6. This trial is risk-free. Christ even prayed the Psalms while on the cross (Matt 27:46, Lk 23:46, Ps 22:1, 31:5). 10:19–20). There is only one way to Him and that is through His only- Son, Jesus Christ. 8:7). To whom should I pray? 5. 5:18–19). Do we pray so we can get stuff from God? We must pray revival prayer. You were designed to live in regular, on-going fellowship with your Creator and Lord. What I needed then was to be settled about the following questions: Can we address God generally in prayer? Mark 11:22 – 25: Mountain moving prayer. Should we only pray to the Father in the name of Jesus? Pray with love and grief – with delight and thanksgiving, but also with authentic repentance and sincerity. Mary and the Saints? Let me answer this for you: I believe you need to pray it through until the breakthrough comes and the answer becomes clear. 1:1–14) and underscores key aspects of the believer’s relationship with God. . You hear people say every day: “God bless America.” But first America has to be a nation God can bless. We are called to pray for family, friends, strangers, and enemies. Your prayers and your prayer life should be a mirror of His prayers and His prayer life. Here are a few of God’s names that we find believers using when addressing God or speaking about Him in the Old Testament: Rev. Prayer Helps Us Be Grateful. Is it right to pray directly to the Holy Spirit? Pray that God would supply his troops with necessities. Occasionally, someone—with whom I was praying—would address God with the trinitarian formula, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” Please know that I care my brother. Pray Simply. Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. Most examples of prayer in the Bible are prayers directly addressed to God. Nicholas T. Batzig is the organizing pastor of New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond Hill, Ga. Nick grew up on St. Simons Island, Ga. Serious-minded Christians have, no doubt, considered these and related questions when they have approached the subject of prayer. “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) Pray for strategic wisdom. 5:18–19). The fact of the matter is that Scripture treats this subject both with more care and less specificity than one might suppose. . Is it right to pray to directly to Jesus? Some days I struggle to pray. 8:26). Jesus Christ? Do not judge. Biblical prayer is ordinarily to be addressed to the Father, in the name of the Son, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Answer: All prayer should be directed to our triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. B. As we pray to our heavenly Father —and to him alone— the words of Psalm 116:1, 2 will become ever more meaningful to us: “I love Jehovah because he hears my voice . In fact, it should be added that one of the best ways to pray is simply to pray exactly what Scripture says. What Jesus Taught about Praying It Through . Many times, we pray to God just to thank Him for all the things that he … We are ordinary people, not the Son of God, and we feel “too tired” a lot. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. You can pray directly to the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, and have total assurance that “His ears are … Whom should we pray ? However, this is just one small but important reason why we should pray. A. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. When Simon Peter brought the indictment against Ananias and Sapphira for their lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11), he said, “You have not lied to men, but to God.” Additionally, when the Apostle Paul gave the elders in Ephesus his parting admonition, he charged them in the following manner: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” The Holy Spirit is a personal and active member of the Godhead, appointing men to be shepherds of the flock of God. . In fact, Paul tells us that, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don’t really see from Jesus’ life him asking God for forgiveness, however … Joanne Rogers, Widow of ‘Mr. Like the early Christians, we can show our love for Jesus by heeding his advice on prayer. We should pray where we need to pray. 6:18; Jude 1:20). Jesus commands us to pray “in His name” because in Him we have fellowship with the Father (John 14:6, 14; 15:16). Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matt. At second stage, in addition to the prayers in the first stage, pray … Reply Rogers,’ Is Dead at Age 92, Texas Megachurch Pastor Sent to Prison for Fraud Scheme, An Unholy Alliance: Christianity and Nationalism, Franklin Graham Likens Republicans Who Voted for Trump’s Impeachment to Judas, Martin Luther King Teach-In Will Focus on How to Carry on His Legacy. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6 NIV) The Spirit, therefore, encourages and empowers sincere prayer (Rom. No credit card required. Second, prayer should be offered in the name of Jesus Christ. 2:1; Rom. Warield, The Person of Christ). It was there that I first noticed how many people began their prayers by addressing God as “Lord Jesus” or “Jesus” or “Christ,” rather than by addressing Him as “Our Father” or “Our God.” 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. In the Book of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it … Should we pray to God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit? But if a certain location is encouraging us to fall asleep, we should perhaps find a new location. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. We should not interpret Jesus’ words too literally. It is often easier to pray for a leader with whom we naturally agree or who we think is leading well. While God does not prescribe a specific time or location for prayer, we would be wise to set aside specific times to pray and to make use of appropriate places for prayer. Before we can answer, “why should we pray,” we must know to whom we pray. At first stage an ordinary individual should pray to his Kuladevata (Family Deity) or Deity of worship, while an individual who has a Guru should pray to his Guru. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. This scriptural pattern calls attention to the Trinitarian nature of redemption (Eph. Pray, too, that your leaders will have godly friends who support and encourage them. Pray for the ministry, pastor, and more people to preach the Gospel (Matthew 9:36-38). Warfield explained the significance of that phrase when he wrote: “‘The form of God’ is the sum of the characteristics which make the being we call ‘God,’ specifically God, rather than some other being—an angel, say, or a man. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. The Bible allows for prayer to one or all three, because all three are one. The names that God revealed to His people carried with them significance in relation to either His attributes or acts. The Father sent His Son into the world to redeem sinners and to reconcile us to Him (John 3:16; 2 Cor. I was also fully convinced from the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit is a personal being rather than an impersonal force—he is the same in substance, equal in power and glory, with the Father and the Son. Maybe I shouldn't worry about this, but I do. It is only through faith in Christ and His atoning blood that we may “have confidence to enter the holy places” and draw near to our heavenly Father in prayer (Heb. Pray with awareness – so that we can have a genuine connection with God. God forbid that I should ever be too busy to pray for a fellow saint and so indeed I will….count on that. We hear continually that we must pray for our nation. (James 1:5) Pray that God would establish leadership in the outposts. There are a few more significant reasons. God can do all things and when we pray the strong name of Jesus, He is glorified….that is what I will do Mr. Overstreet. 1 thought on “ How to Pray When You’re Too Tired to Pray ” Dr. Paul W. Foltz on December 27, 2008 at 11:35 pm said: We are to pray without ceasing, ie, be in a constant state of prayer. True, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Jesus said: “You must pray, then, this way: ‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. We Should Pray for Each Other Because Jesus and the Holy Spirit Intercede for People A general rule of thumb (not always) when reading the Bible is that anytime Jesus does something, we should try to do it too (John 13:15). We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Then He gives us His method by which we should pray: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. by Shawn Brasseaux “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus’ Model Prayer. We might think we have to pray passionate, persuasive words for God to hear us, but in … Only prayer can hold back the floodtide of sin and God’s judgment upon us. The nature, content, and form of public worship are significant for discipleship. You might be surprised. As a general rule, therefore, our prayers should be addressed to the Father. Since prayer is a principal element of worship and fundamental to the believer’s walk with God, it is critical that we understand not just how to pray but to whom we should pray. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. So how long should we pray for something in life? We should trust what the Bible teaches on prayer: God the Father is all-powerful and Christ is a loving, kind and powerful “Advocate” on our behalf (1 John 2:1). Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matt. 2:18). Still, for right or wrong, there was something about hearing others address the second or third members of the Godhead that left me unconformable. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth. Jesus is the supreme model of someone who loves others well. In the Old Testament era (prior to the full unfolding of the mystery of God’s triunity), believers addressed God in prayer, employing the many names by which He revealed Himself to them redemptive history. 6:9). © 2019 churchleaders.com, All rights reserved. First, prayer should ordinarily be directed to God the Father. . A brief survey of pertinent passages will prove to be extremely beneficial as we seek to draw conclusions about the person(s) of the Godhead to whom we should address our prayers. In fact, Jesus, who is God in flesh and can do whatever He so desires, prayed to God the Father for the will of the Father to be done (Luke 22:42). Third, in addition to addressing God the Father in the name of the Son, prayer must be “at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. But, was I right to be uncomfortable when prayer was addressed in this way? You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. “’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. 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