Just Who Should We Pray To?

“God answers knee-mail.”

―John Wilson, January 2015 40-days devotional

To guide me through the Lent season I have been reading Jonty Rhodes’ book: Man of Sorrows, King of Glory: What the Humiliation and Exaltation of Jesus Mean for Us.

This morning I read: “The Spirit is the mediator of, not the surrogate for, Christ’s person and work.”

Now that may not sound profound to you but when I read those words it was like something “clicked” for me.

I’ve often struggled with how exactly to pray, or more specifically who to pray to. The doctrine (and reality) of the Trinity can really be complicated. Do we pray to God the Father, Jesus, or to the Holy Spirit?

Most often I settle on Jesus’s instructions in the Lord’s Prayer and pray to the Father. But what about Jesus? Or the Holy Spirit?

Picture sitting at a table over lunch with three people. If you only acknowledge one of them and talk to that person alone that seems impolite—even rude. That is how I have often felt when praying. Of course I honor the Father, but what about Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Is it right to ignore them, to never call them by name?

Rhodes helped me with this. Concerning the above words he wrote: “It is not that Christ leaves the scene and retires to heaven to put his feet up and then the Spirit comes to take up the work. No, Christ continues to work but now does so from heaven through the power of his Spirit.”

I remember a pastor friend of mine who was very specific about how we should pray. He said, “We pray to the Father by the Spirit through the Son.”

I think he was on to something. When we pray, the entire Trinity (GOD) is involved. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to pray (for prayer is a spiritual effort), and our Lord Jesus takes our prayer on our behalf and brings it (our intercessor) before the Father.

I can almost see it now: The Holy Spirit takes my [insert your name here] prayer with its many imperfections and limitations and overcoming all the evil principalities and powers that seek to hinder me from having access to GOD (Mt. 13:19, Eph. 6:12) delivers it to Jesus who then brings it before the Father and says, “Father, this is what David said. You know his weaknesses and limitations and the fact that he doesn’t see the big picture, but on his behalf I offer his prayer to you and sanctify it with my own blood, which was shed on his behalf, and ask now that you give him the desires of his heart according to you perfect will (Ro. 8:34, Ps. 37:3-5).

So back to the three men at the table – When we pray we are not just talking to one of them, we’re talking to all three. They are all involved in the conversation and they all care and have our best interest at heart.

Isn’t that neat? And at least to me, comforting. The last thing I want to do is be rude to GOD!

The ONE THING for today: The moment we say/think “Father God” the entire Godhead hears and responds.