Light My Path.

The most famous prayer in the bible is the Lord’s prayer. Christ was asked by his disciples how to pray. His answer was a brief outline of things we should be mindful of when praying.

Luke 11:2 “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven”

Notice how Christ started his prayer, “Our Father”. I have never seen a scripture that directs us to pray to Jesus, yet that is what many Christians do.

Does it make sense to be praying to Jesus and then end your prayer by saying, “in Jesus’ name, Amen”?

Eph 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The reason we are to end our prayers “in Jesus’ name” is because we are taking our requests and thanksgivings to God the Father with Jesus as our mediator or intercessor. We can only come to the Father through Christ. Christ can’t be mediating for us to Himself.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Heb 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Part of Jesus’ ministry was to reveal God the Father to us.

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John 14:6-7 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

John 14:9 He who has seen Me has seen the Father;

Jesus said, from now on, we could know the Father. By studying about Christ and who He was and is we can learn about the Father. They are one.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

Being one means they are in complete harmony and agreement in every way.

When Christ died, the curtain of the holy of holies was torn symbolizing that we no longer need to go through a priest to approach God the Father. We now, because of Christ’s sacrifice, have direct access to the Father. Previously only the priests were allowed behind the veil or curtain that separated the holy of holies in the Temple.

Mark 15:38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Matt 11:27 “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

John 17:25-26 “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.

“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

I believe that we are to direct our prayers to God the Father and that when we pray Jesus Christ is right beside the Father, at His right hand, listening to our prayers and mediating for us. Christ was tempted in all points as we are as a human being. He understands us and that is why He can intercede for us.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus is just fine with being number two—the Son. He sits at the right hand of the Father and He is happy to do so. They are one. It may be a concept that some have trouble with. This world we live in is run by Satan who rebelled against God and wanted to take His place and still wants to. That attitude is prevalent in our society—everyone wants to be number one—on top. But that is the mentality of Satan and not Christ. Jesus revers the Father and wants us to know Him.

John 5:30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Praying to the Father instead of Christ does not diminish the awesome being that Jesus is. None of us will ever come close to the glory that is Him. He is our Creator. The fact that He chose to come to earth and live as a man, to die for our sins was the most incredible sacrifice that we are hard pressed to understand in its entirety. To give up being God even for a short period of time was truly amazing.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

I am not saying that it is wrong to once in a while address Christ directly in our prayers, but our focus is supposed to be on the Father. Part of Christ’s mission on earth was to reveal the Father to us so that we could have an intimate and personal connection with Him. Prior to this the Father had not made Himself accessible—now because of Christ’s sacrifice we have that awesome privilege.