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What Does the Bible Say About..Who to Pray To?

Something that has been bothering me lately is the question of who do I pray to. I was raised to believe that I have to pray to Father God and that when I end my prayers I have to end it by saying "In Jesus name." That is scriptural it says so in John 15:18 "You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name." Jesus himself prayed to God, because He couldn't pray to himself of course. He prayed before He got betrayed by Judas on the Mount of Olives, yet I believe there is no account that the 12 Apostles prayed to God, they simply went to Jesus. In the previous chapter in John, John 14:13-14 it says and It's Jesus speaking: "Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do." My question is who do we pray to? I think it's understandable that the Apostles would just go to Jesus, instead of praying to God, because He was there with them physically. We haven't seen Jesus or God, so who is it that we communicate with or pray to?

Answer

When the apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he taught them to pray to God. (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2) Most of the prayers recorded in the New Testament are to God. However, we do have an example of praying to Jesus. “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59) That scripture equates praying to Jesus with praying to God. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2: 5) So we pray to God and Jesus or we pray to God through Jesus.

For my previous answer about using the phrase “in Jesus’ name” during prayers, please go to What Does the Bible Say About..In the Name Of?