“Whom should I pray to?” Do you ever wonder that? I’ve been asked that question a number of times recently. Often it’s worded like this, “I know that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are one God and three Persons—the Trinity. But does it matter whom I pray to? Should I pray to the Father or Jesus or the Holy Spirit?” Have you ever wondered that?
If so, it’s great that you want to pray to God! The Bible encourages us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God loves it when you bring your thanks, concerns, and hopes to him in prayer.
So whom should we pray to? There is no verse in the Bible that tells us to pray to only the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. There is also no verse in the Bible that tells us not to pray to the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. There is no verse that says that it’s better to pray to one of the three persons of the Trinity. The Bible doesn’t limit our prayers, as long as they are directed to the one true God.
It’s most common in the Bible to have people pray to God the Father. Jesus taught Christians to pray to the Father when he taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer. It starts, “Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9). Since the Bible emphasizes God the Father’s power and control over the world, it’s very natural to pray to God the Father. We often pray to the Father in Jesus’ name.
At the same time, the New Testament has lots of examples of people praying to Jesus while he was on earth. Think of the rebel next to Jesus on the cross. He prayed, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Jesus didn’t reply, “Hold on! You need to pray that to God the Father.” Instead, he was happy to listen to the man’s prayer and grant his request. We can pray to Jesus too.
The Holy Spirit is also connected with prayer throughout the New Testament. Romans 8:26-27 says that the Spirit is constantly praying for us, even when we don’t know what to pray for. Paul encourages, “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).
So, you can pray anytime to the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit and know that your prayer is heard. Or, you can address your prayers to “God” or “Lord” and not specify one person of the Trinity.
Since the Bible does say that each member of the Trinity has a unique role in our salvation, perhaps you could sometimes pray to each member of the Trinity, depending on what you are praying about. If you pray for protection or strength, you could pray to God the Father to send his angels around you. If you feel guilty for your sins, you could pray to Jesus to remind you of the forgiveness he won for you with his blood on the cross. When you want more faith or insight into God’s Word, you could pray to the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and open your eyes to God’s truth.
Don’t we have a great God? So, “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
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