How Do We Pray?

How do we pray?  Why do we pray?  Who do we pray to?  The Bible suggests we pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

However, there is nothing to contraindicate praying to Jesus or even talking with the Lord throughout the day or evening.  The best way to begin is to understand what God desires from us.  The Bible teaches us that God is not primarily interested in your prayer requests.  God is not primarily interested in your prayers for others.  God is primarily interested in you.  He wants to develop a relationship with you, one on one, based on love.  Out of this relationship will then flow prayer requests and prayers for others.  However, the relationship must come first.  That requires making the decision to provide time to spend with the Lord.  

We ask our prayers in the name of Jesus because He is our intercessor.  Remember the story of Peter and John going to the temple in the third chapter of Acts and they meet a man who has been lame since birth.  "Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you:  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.' "  The lame man was healed and the people were astonished and wondered how this could happen.  Peter told them it was not by his might or will but entirely in the name of Jesus Christ.

Listen to these well known verses from Scripture:  John 14:6:  "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "  Also, I Timothy 2:5:  "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."

What God is basically saying is, "If you have a request for Me, the way to have it answered is on the basis of what My Son has done." Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  He redeemed us from the slavery of sin and the price was His very blood.  Therefore, when we come before the Creator of the universe, our God and Father, we do so not based on our personal achievements.  We come before God solely based on what Jesus has done on our behalf.  We might say something like this, "Dear God, I come before You and pray not because of my unworthiness, but through  what Your Son has done for me.  Through His blood sacrifice I am praying in His name.  The name of Jesus Christ.  Amen."