J Vernon McGee says | SermonIndex

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Trekker May 26, 2012

Is it ok to pray directly to Jesus rather than always the Father?? I was listening to the radio, cuz i always have it on, and while i am not a follower of JV McGee per se, one night i heard him say that we should never pray to Jesus directly but only to the Father because Jesus Himself instructed us to do so when he said to pray to the Father in His name ("and whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he will do..."etc.). Well i find that by only praying to the Father all the time i am really missing talking to/at Jesus! I just feel like i miss Him. So this is causing me some consternation.

sermonindex May 26, 2012

Hey Trekker, I agree with McGee and you! I pray to the father, because Jesus is my propitiation, the way to the Father, but I in no way feel that I am not speaking to Jesus...in an experienctial sense, I feel that that I am always engaging the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that that unity is in reality and experiencially indivisable, but at the same time it is through in Jesus's name I petition, approach, and adress the Father as my abba, and it is the Holy Spirit that communes with my Spirit, and communes with the Father with groanings that cannot be spoken..essentially, to pray to the Father in Jesus's name is not to dissengage from Jesus, but to be in unity with Him. It is not a mantra, it is a living reality.

J

Jeremy221 May 26, 2012

Hi Trekker,

This seems to be a problem for a lot of people because there is so much emphasis on the person of Christ at the expense of the Father and the Spirit. I would encourage you to ask the Father to reveal the fullness of Himself because the character you see in and love of Jesus Christ is one and the same in the Father. The Father desires that we know Him as He is, as Jesus Christ is and the Holy Spirit is. The answer to prayers like this might take some time but the fulfillment will make you feel really full and complete. It's a joy to know that God will fulfill His will in your life though not in your time. Peace on you sis.

P

PaulWest May 26, 2012

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts. 7:59)

I've found that for premeditative prayer, God the Father is obviously addressed through Christ. But for desperate and ejaculatory requests, such as in Stephen's case here, Christ Himself is very often contacted directly. It is the natural cry for the soul in distress. Ultimately, whether to God the Father or Christ the Son Who is also equally God, the prayer goes to the same blessed ear in eternity.

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Trekker May 28, 2012

QUOTE: "As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts. 7:59)

I've found that for premeditative prayer, God the Father is obviously addressed through Christ. But for desperate and ejaculatory requests, such as in Stephen's case here, Christ Himself is very often contacted directly. It is the natural cry for the soul in distress. Ultimately, whether to God the Father or Christ the Son Who is also equally God, the prayer goes to the same blessed ear in eternity."==PAUL WEST

WOW, thanks for pointing that one out Paul West! That scripture never occurred to me! Very good point! Yes, i can see that in an emergency one would shout out to Jesus cuz i mean, you don't really have time to go thru all the formality of approaching the Father in Jesus' name...when one has been thrust into a sudden, urgent event one does not sit down and say, "Dear Father, please hear my prayer; i pray to you in the name of Lord Jesus...etc". LOL. Thank you very much for this insight! And thank ALL of you who replied to my post on this topic!