When should we pray?
PRAY ALWAYS
Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
How much should we pray?
PRAY PERSISTENTLY
Luke 18:1 "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." He then tells of the parable of the persistent widow
Ro 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
And there is much more to be said on prayer - like for example how the apostle Paul prayed throughout his New Testament letters. (See more materials on prayer at Prayer)
Whom are we to pray to?
Well of course there is only one God, but how to address him? For example Muslims also claim there is but one God and address him as Allah. But upon further investigation we find that their “Allah” is characteristically different than God of the Bible. Therefore when we address God, we want to make sure that we characterize God properly, else we may be just addressing an idol, a god we made up in our own minds – or that which is a product of false prophecies, as in Islam.
God is addressed in many different ways in the Bible, each address emphasizing certain aspects of his character. For example he’s spoken of as “El Shaddai” (God all-sufficient), Adonai (Lord), Jehovah (or Yahweh – The Self-Existent One), Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord will provide), Jehovah-Rophe (The Lord who heals), and many others. These are not addressing different gods, but rather addressing the One God, emphasizing certain of his characteristics.
In the New Testament God is often addressed as “Father”. In fact Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” Mat 6:9 He is also referred to as “God” and also as “Lord God”, as in Rev 11:17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.”
But is it appropriate to pray to Jesus?
The Psalmist prayed "So I said: "Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginning, O LORD, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands" Psalm 102:24,25 But this was also quoted in Heb 1:10 referring to Jesus. For Jesus is the LORD. So he was addressing the Lord Jesus. So also
Of God it says:
"This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev 1:8
And of Jesus is says:
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again." Rev 2:8
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Rev 22:12,13
Isaiah writes, “I saw the Lord seated on a throne” Is 6:1 referring to him as the “LORD Almighty”. Is 6:3, yet the apostle John indicates that what Isaiah saw was the Lord Jesus. (John 12:41 – which refers to Isaiah 6)
It’s written in Romans 10:13 that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So who is the “Lord” verse 13 is referring to whom we are to call upon to be saved? A few verse before that is says, “that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Rom 10:9 Thus when the first Christian martyr was killed it is written that “They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’” Acts 7:59 So it is appropriate to pray to Jesus, who is LORD. And by the way that quote in Rom 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”, Paul took from the Old Testament prophet Joel 2:27-32 which also says, “I am the LORD your God” So in view of these references, whom do you think the New Testament authors thought the Jesus was?
So whether you’re praying to Jesus or praying to God the Father, you’re praying to the One Lord God – for “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3,14
In practice Christians address God in various ways in prayer. “Father”, “Lord God”, “Lord”, “Lord Jesus”. These all have precedent in the Bible. Though there is little precedent for addressing the Spirit of God, even though he is intimately involved in the process of prayer. For example it says , “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Rom 8:26 And we are commanded to pray in the Spirit (Jude 1:20), and also many prayers involve praying about the Spirit’s activities, and the Spirit does instruct, convict and give guidance, but I can think of no examples of praying to the Spirit, or addressing the Spirit in prayer, though there is nothing forbidding that. New Testament prayers are directed to the Father and the Son.
PRAY ALWAYS
Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
How much should we pray?
PRAY PERSISTENTLY
Luke 18:1 "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." He then tells of the parable of the persistent widow
Ro 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
And there is much more to be said on prayer - like for example how the apostle Paul prayed throughout his New Testament letters. (See more materials on prayer at Prayer)
Whom are we to pray to?
Well of course there is only one God, but how to address him? For example Muslims also claim there is but one God and address him as Allah. But upon further investigation we find that their “Allah” is characteristically different than God of the Bible. Therefore when we address God, we want to make sure that we characterize God properly, else we may be just addressing an idol, a god we made up in our own minds – or that which is a product of false prophecies, as in Islam.
God is addressed in many different ways in the Bible, each address emphasizing certain aspects of his character. For example he’s spoken of as “El Shaddai” (God all-sufficient), Adonai (Lord), Jehovah (or Yahweh – The Self-Existent One), Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord will provide), Jehovah-Rophe (The Lord who heals), and many others. These are not addressing different gods, but rather addressing the One God, emphasizing certain of his characteristics.
In the New Testament God is often addressed as “Father”. In fact Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” Mat 6:9 He is also referred to as “God” and also as “Lord God”, as in Rev 11:17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.”
But is it appropriate to pray to Jesus?
The Psalmist prayed "So I said: "Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginning, O LORD, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands" Psalm 102:24,25 But this was also quoted in Heb 1:10 referring to Jesus. For Jesus is the LORD. So he was addressing the Lord Jesus. So also
Of God it says:
"This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev 1:8
And of Jesus is says:
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again." Rev 2:8
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Rev 22:12,13
Isaiah writes, “I saw the Lord seated on a throne” Is 6:1 referring to him as the “LORD Almighty”. Is 6:3, yet the apostle John indicates that what Isaiah saw was the Lord Jesus. (John 12:41 – which refers to Isaiah 6)
It’s written in Romans 10:13 that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So who is the “Lord” verse 13 is referring to whom we are to call upon to be saved? A few verse before that is says, “that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Rom 10:9 Thus when the first Christian martyr was killed it is written that “They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’” Acts 7:59 So it is appropriate to pray to Jesus, who is LORD. And by the way that quote in Rom 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”, Paul took from the Old Testament prophet Joel 2:27-32 which also says, “I am the LORD your God” So in view of these references, whom do you think the New Testament authors thought the Jesus was?
So whether you’re praying to Jesus or praying to God the Father, you’re praying to the One Lord God – for “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3,14
In practice Christians address God in various ways in prayer. “Father”, “Lord God”, “Lord”, “Lord Jesus”. These all have precedent in the Bible. Though there is little precedent for addressing the Spirit of God, even though he is intimately involved in the process of prayer. For example it says , “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Rom 8:26 And we are commanded to pray in the Spirit (Jude 1:20), and also many prayers involve praying about the Spirit’s activities, and the Spirit does instruct, convict and give guidance, but I can think of no examples of praying to the Spirit, or addressing the Spirit in prayer, though there is nothing forbidding that. New Testament prayers are directed to the Father and the Son.
