We can see that in this prayer, we are to ask God for things. From the very earliest days, the church and its theologians have taken Paul’s vision in Romans 5:12–21 of the two men Adam and Christ, who determine the destiny of all people to be a very strong dominant image in salvation. If Jesus isn't actually God, then it's idol worship to raise a doctrine of man (such as the ones enshrined by the first seven ecumenical councils) to the level of knowing who is God and who isn't. Now, I believe there is nothing wrong with asking God to bless us. Do we pray because God is likely to change his will? God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Because this last part involves a possible severe violation of the second commandment, I want to clearly illustrate why I don't think we have reached that standard. In prayer, we are acknowledging that the only way to God is through Jesus. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Okay, there are really two parts to the story. Jesus instructs us to pray and even details exactly how we should pray in Matthew 6:9-13, in what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. It should be noted that asking one person to pray for you in no way violates Christ’s mediatorship between God and man. Why do Catholics pray to Mary? This was the pattern the Apostle Paul gives us in Ephesians 3:14-21. Why Do We Pray in Jesus’ Name? Because we cannot do it in ourselves. These words express something glorious and essential. That is why we are obliged to attend Sunday Mass and why the Church calls the Mass the “source and summit of the Christian life.” During it, we engage in a conversation with God. 3. When you pray in such an environment God is able to reveal his desire for you and the purpose that he has installed in your heart. Many times in the Gospels, we read that Jesus prayed or went alone to pray apart from the disciples. Or, do we pray because it’s somehow a solvent for events and realities well outside of our control? Jesus Prayed Regularly. Jesus taught us to pray to God the Father in Matthew 6. In order to pray to Jesus instead of God the Father, one has to be absolutely sure the humans living after Jesus got it right. For example, we can appropriate God-breathed prayers in Scripture as they match our own circumstances. We pray for a variety of reasons. So when we approach God we do so in the authority of Jesus Christ. We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7). The Bible says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Prayer is asking God to mold our hearts to look like Christ. Seems like they worship her but she was a sinner just like everyone else. These lessons have been a tremendous encouragement to me and they urge me to reexamine my doubts towards praying for others. Each person of the Trinity plays different roles in how they interact in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike. I would never let my kids — at least I tried not to — use “in Jesus’ name, amen” as a throwaway phrase at the end of prayer. God calls us to pray and we must respond. As was His prayer recorded in John 17. Jesus prayed because of His relationship with the Father. So even if we do not pray on behalf of others, God would still know their needs, right? Jesus prayed to God the Father and taught us to do the same. In order to pray to Jesus instead of God the Father, one has to be absolutely sure the humans living after Jesus got it right. Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? 2. Submission to His Will. He speaks to us through His Word and teaches us through His minister. There are two men — Adam and Christ. Prayer to one member of the Trinity is prayer to all. To the Lord Jesus, we pray as to the Father because they are equal. If God is in control of human history and also directs individual lives, what’s the point of praying? We also should pray in the name of the Son, as Jesus also taught in John 16:23-24. It says that if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ the Righteous. Out of habit and duty? Not long ago, I opened the Bible, desiring to find out more about the role and importance of intercession. We are to ask for his kingdom to come, for his will to be done as in heaven, for him to give us daily bread, for the forgiveness of our sins, that we would be kept from temptation and be delivered from evil. We are also to pray in the name of Christ. We only can come to God in prayer pleading for grace, because we have a high priest, which is why we pray in Jesus’ name. Catholics seem to think Mary was sinless but of course she wasn't. And the first part starts very well. Prayer isn’t asking God for parking spots and 20% discounts at your favorite retail store. Why do we pray? We are instructed to pray in the "name of Jesus" and we always pray "through Jesus" or that is our intent. Why do we pray? We must pray to God in Jesus’ name because this is the only way God has approved for us to approach Him. For one thing, prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38) and obeying Him. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are acknowledging that, without the work of Christ, we would be alienated from God forever. It’s much more than that. Rather it is an outline of a potential prayer, and a very good prayer at that, which covers many of the things we should pray about. John 17) because while they share the same being they are different in person. (Hebrews 4:15-16) Without Jesus we have no relationship with God and cannot even talk to Him in prayer. We are using the authority of His name to get whatever we want done. This is a question many Christians, as well as people with other beliefs, have asked. Most examples of prayer in the Bible are prayers directly addressed to God. We can ask Him to send His angels to war against the demonic horde. Prayer was an important part of Jesus' life. Praying in the name of Jesus means praying for things Jesus would pray for; it means praying in a way that honors Jesus. If He is God, why did Jesus pray? That doesn't mean merely saying at the end of a prayer, "In Jesus' name, Amen." And we are not supposed to pray without the name of Jesus because Jesus instructed us not to. If we cannot change God’s mind, why should we pray?" Simple as that. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14 NIV). Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest, rather than going directly to God? However, this is just one small but important reason why we should pray. We should pray because we can participate in a spiritual battle. What we need is not always what we want but God in his provident mercy gives us what we need. 2. The time I spent with the Word taught me five lessons. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus also told his faithful apostles: “Most truly I say to you, If you ask the Father for anything he will give it to you in my name.”—John 16:23. In prayer, we can ask God to move in the spiritual realm. Notice that Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “your faith has saved you.” Bartimaeus was a person of faith, not a person who prayed only in a crisis to get what he wanted from God. You might be surprised. One reason he prayed was as an example so that we could learn from him. Just like we can’t just go talk to the President unless invited, the same is true with God, so Jesus invited us to do so. He comes to us, body, blood, soul and divinity in Holy Communion. So, my view is that the general pattern of prayer is to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. The answer lies in understanding what prayer … But there are other prayers in the New Testament which do not follow the exact same pattern. We don’t typologically fulfill Scripture in the same way that Jesus does, but we can and should pray Scripture appropriately with reference to our contexts. In the Bible, God commands people, multiple times, to pray. Jesus taught that we should trust GOD's kindness and provisions. Prayer is being the hands and feet of Jesus in this broken world. Answer: For the Christian, praying is supposed to be like breathing, easier to do than to not do. Reason #1: Christians pray because they have faith that GOD loves us and cares for us. Stephen, as he was being martyred, prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Why did Jesus pray? We can exercise the privilege of prayer because Jesus has made a sacrifice for us – He bridges the gap between us and God. This is why Jesus gave time to God when it’s quiet with no interruptions. This one’s hard. We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. We can seek His will in our own lives as we resist the evil one. Some days I struggle to pray. Jesus also said to pray in His name. Hebrews 4:15-16 refers to Jesus as our High Priest : "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. God is a jealous God, so why pray to and worship a human woman? Sometimes we pray for what we want and instead God gives us what we need. #5: Pray for God’s will in your life “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV) If we’re to truly pick up our cross and follow Jesus, it means we have to submit to God’s plan for our lives. Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Jesus’ prayer in the garden for instance, was quite a different prayer (Matthew 26:39). This is because they’ve mistaken God as a genie instead of the one true God Almighty. This is why Jesus can both be God and still pray to God (e.g. In John chapter 17, we find Jesus' high priestly prayer. Praying to God the Father. by Rick Warren — November 17, 2017 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Why did Jesus pray? God’s people have been doing that with the Psalms for thousands of years. I told them, don’t slur that, don’t rush that. Do we pray because if we don’t, we think that God won’t have the opportunity to change his will? These are questions worth thinking about because they link themselves to a certain outlook on faith and God himself. 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