TheosGuy

There is a common question of whether or not it is right to also pray to Jesus, rather than just to the Father. Here is a passage from the New Testament that would indicate that it is appropriate to pray to Jesus.

“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”—John 14:13-14 (NASB)

In addition, the following thoughts are from Wayne Grudem’s audio message, “Jesus as Prophet and Priest” at approximately 26 minutes into the message.

Best to look to to Epistles of the New Testament.

1. In Acts 7:59, where Stephen prayed “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” The word “Lord” (kurios) most often refers in the New Testament to Christ, while “God” refers most often, in context, to the Father.
2. In Acts 1, when choosing the the apostolic replacement for Judas: “Lord show us which one to choose.” Prayer to Christ (see 1 above re: “Lord”).
3. “Maranatha (Lord Come)” is a prayer to Jesus Christ (see 1 above re: “Lord”). See Rev 22:20 NASB and 1 Cor 16:22 NASB
4. Paul prays to the Lord in 2 Cor 12 (see 1 above re: “Lord”).
5. The epistle of Hebrews generally denotes Jesus as our mediator and high priest (e.g., Hebr 8:1, 6), and therefore it would seem appropriate for Him to receive our requests.
6. Anytime during the Gospels where someone made a request to Jesus to heal, raise from the dead, to save, etc. was the same as we consider of prayer requests (e.g., Mat 8:1-10).

Tags: Christ, Prayer