Video 1

Who Do We Pray To?

Hello, I’m Germaine Copeland. Founder of Word Ministries and author of best-selling book series “Prayers That Avail Much.” In this series of videos on how to pray we are going to be covering topics like who we should pray to, how and how not to pray, what we should pray for, how to pray prayers that get answered, and how to maintain a consistent prayer life. Let’s start with who we should pray to.

When a person first begins learning how to pray a common question they often have is, “Who should I pray to? Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit?” To answer that question let’s look to the Word of God.

In the book of Matthew, we see that Jesus’ disciples came to Him and asked him how they should pray. In answering them Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray” and He starts His prayer with, “Our Father who art in Heaven…” So we see Jesus teaching His disciples to pray to Father God. Using His example as our guide we should do the same, and we should do so in Jesus’ name.

Starting In Hebrews 4:14 we find the verses “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins.” We can only come to God in prayer because Jesus made a way for us by shedding His blood on the cross.

We have no access to God without Christ. So when we end a prayer with the phrase, “In Jesus Name” we are communicating to the Father that I’m not coming in my own name, not in my own merit, not in my own worth. I am coming because Christ loved me, because Christ sacrificed for me, because Christ rose for me. Christ intercedes for me, and He is my high priest.

However, while I believe it is absolutely appropriate and Biblical to pray to the Father in Jesus name, I also wholeheartedly believe that you should not be afraid to speak directly to Jesus as your Lord and savior. He calls you the bride of Christ and emphasizes over and over again that He desires intimacy with you. You can’t be intimate with someone that you never communicate with, and this is found in the Word of God. We see Biblical examples directing us to speak directly to Jesus in John 14:14, Revelations 22:20, and 1 Corinthians 16:22 just to name a few. Christ and the Holy Spirit are persons. They are our family, and you shouldn’t be afraid to communicate with them.

So in conclusion, just as Jesus was recorded saying in John 15:16 “…whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” I believe that we should pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. Let this be the framework for your prayers. However, never forget that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are persons, and speaking directly to them, as someone who is deeply loved by them, should be considered natural.

Alright, I hoped that helped you! Now that we’ve covered who we pray to, stay tuned for the next video in this series on how and how not to pray!