To whom do Christians pray? Are we praying to the Trinity, to Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit? Is there a way that our prayers are to be structured? Is the Lord’s prayer an example for us to think rightly about prayer? How should a Christian go about their prayers, is there a specific way?

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot discuss these questions and more as they speak about prayer in the life of believers. Jesus’ disciples recognized the importance of prayer and desired for Him to teach them how to pray. We find the example He gives recorded for us in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. In both places, we read how our Lord instructs us to begin our prayers. These first words given are “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”, and “Father, hallowed be your name.” respectfully. Dr. Caldwell explains that this is the pattern that is most often found in the New Testament. We come addressing God the Father, in and through the Son, doing so by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the normal and regular way that we see Christians pray in the New Testament. He shares that there are a couple of examples in Scripture where Jesus is addressed directly, but also shares that he cannot think of any place where the Spirit of God is directly addressed. So, while we do have a relationship with each member of the Godhead, and each is worthy of praise and worship, the normal, consistent way we will pray is to the Father, by the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, We Do Want To Pray Rightly

Dr. Caldwell shares that as Christians, we do want to pray rightly, and this is understandable. We want to know and grow in our prayer lives. We should want to be better at this. We want to come to God in humble adoration and reverence, depending on and trusting Him to hear and answer our prayers. Given all this, he reminds us that when we pray, one thing we can be encouraged in is that our Father knows our needs.

We can and should be comforted by the knowledge that God is not answering our prayers based on the pristine nature of the structure or of the language we use. He knows what we need before we ask. What we are called to do is seek Him, knowing who He is, and knowing His truth given us in His word. Therefore we come striving for our hearts and minds to agree with Him while having the knowledge that what He does transcends our ability to pray.

Scripture tells us that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Dr. Caldwell says this is true, but even in that prayer there is weakness. We are still in bodies of flesh that are not yet glorified. We often do not know how to pray as we ought. We don’t know all that we should pray for. We do and will struggle even with what to ask for. Yet we can come to God as one of His children, we can give voice to what is in our hearts and on our minds, knowing that He knows all.

Christ’s Righteousness

He answers based not on our righteousness, but on Christ’s righteousness, what Christ has done for us. We come relying on the Spirit of God to intercede for us when we don’t even know what to ask. Even here in these times, God is at work. Having this understanding ought to enable us to relax in our inabilities and weaknesses. Knowing that as we come before our God trusting in His sovereignty, and in His perfect providential care for us, that He is at work in the process.

Dr. Caldwell shares that one of the best ways we can grow in prayer is by praying the Scriptures. This will help break us out of patterns of praying that we easily fall into, patterns that find us saying the same things over and over again. When we pray through a passage of Scripture, it enlarges our perspective. In this way, we can be assured that what we are praying for is the will of God. Dr. Caldwell takes us to Psalm 19 and shares an example of just how we can do this. He explains that this not only expands our minds as we pray but that it also ensures that what we are praying and asking for is what would please God.