Should We Only Pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus?
BY NICK BATZIG | Should believers pray directly to the Son and Spirit, or should they specifically address the Father in Jesus' name? To whom should we pray?
As a young Christian, I would often go to a weekly prayer meeting at the local church I attended. 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.
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. But was I right to be uncomfortable when prayer was addressed in this way?
"He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
It’s also amazing how often the Trinity “shows up” in the Word! Consider 2 Cor 4:6,7.
“For the God who said ‘let light shine out of darkness’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.”
This means the face of Christ shines with glory because he is face to face with the Father! It’s this face to face intimacy and love, a treasure, which indwells us by the Holy Spirit!
So our prayers to any or all of the Trinity makes sense!