Praying To Christ

Question:

Is It Okay To Pray To Christ?

Quick Answer:

Yes!

Bible Answer:

Luke 18:16 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."

1 Corinthians 1:1 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"

2 Corinthians 12:8 "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Acts 7:59 "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Inspired Answer:

"We need a power to come upon us now and stir us up to diligence and earnest faith. Then, baptized with the Holy Spirit, we shall have Christ formed within, the hope of glory. Then we will exhibit Christ as the divine object of our faith and our love. We will talk of Christ, we will pray to Christ and about Christ. We will praise His holy name. We will present the people His miracles, His self-denial, His self-sacrifice, His sufferings, and His crucifixion, His resurrection and triumphant ascension. These are the inspiring themes of the gospel, to awaken love and intense fervor in every heart. Here are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, a fountain inexhaustible. The more you seek of this experience, the greater will be the value of your life." {Ms27-1889.17}

"Man’s obedience can be made perfect only by the incense of Christ’s righteousness, which fills with divine fragrance every act of obedience. The part of the Christian is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to the Saviour to heal the disorders of his sin-sick soul. He has not the wisdom or the strength to overcome; these belong to the Lord, and He bestows them on those who in humiliation and contrition seek Him for help." {AA 532.1}

"If we believe in Jesus, we will love to think of him, love to talk of him, love to pray to him. He is supreme in our affections. We love that which Christ loves, and hate that which Christ hates." {RH May 30, 1882, par. 10}

"Do not be content with a superficial piety, but, young friends, grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Are you making advancement? Is the plant of grace waxing into a tree, or withering away? Present yourselves humbly and often at the throne of grace, and tell Jesus your every want, and do not think anything is too small for him to notice. The Lord loves to have you seek him, and tell him your trials, as a child would talk with his parent. When you pray, believe Jesus hears you, and will do the things you ask of him. Show that you have perfect trust in Jesus, and ever seek to do those things that you know will please him, and you will have peace in Christ." {YI February 9, 1893, par. 5}

"To the praying soul, Jesus reveals himself as the One who hears and answers prayer,—the One who lifts up those that are cast down, and heals the broken in heart." {YI May 12, 1898, par. 9}

"Dear children, your mother has not forgotten you. She thinks of you many times every day. We hope you will be good and faithful children. I have been thinking, what if either of you should be taken sick and die, and your father and mother see you no more? Would you be prepared to die? Do you love God better than any one else? Can you forget your play to think of God, to go away alone and ask him for Jesus’ sake to forgive your sins? I know that much of your time is taken up with your studies, and with doing errands; but, dear children, don’t forget to pray. The Lord loves to have children pray to him. And if you really repent and feel sorry for your sins, God will forgive your sins for Jesus’ sake." {AY 42.1}

"There are few who rightly appreciate or improve the precious privilege of prayer. We should go to Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer. When we feel that we need the presence of Christ at every step, Satan will have little opportunity to intrude his temptations. It is his studied effort to keep us away from our best and most sympathizing friend. We should make no one our confidant but Jesus. We can safely commune with Him of all that is in our hearts. Brethren and sisters, when you assemble for social worship, believe that Jesus meets with you; believe that He is willing to bless you. Turn the eye away from self; look unto Jesus, talk of His matchless love. By beholding Him you will become changed into His likeness. When you pray, be brief, come right to the point. Do not preach the Lord a sermon in your long prayers. Ask for the bread of life as a hungry child asks bread of his earthly father. God will bestow upon us every needed blessing if we ask Him in simplicity and faith." {CCh 294.1}

Further Thoughts:

It goes without saying that it is okay to pray to Christ. Some individuals believe one should only pray to the Father, but there are examples of people praying to Christ in the Bible, and and the idea of not praying to Christ is strongly contradicted in the writings of Ellen White.