Should We Pray to Jesus?

 

Should We Worship, Praise, or Pray to Jesus?

Is the Father the only one we should pray to?

Well, to be completely honest, my view when I started this study is that we absolutely should only pray to the Father, and really, He is the only one we should worship and praise as well. That's what I was taught growing up, the conclusion I came to studying for myself, and the conclusion many pastors I respect have come to on their own and taught.

Perhaps that was partially due to the over-Jesusfication of mainstream Christianity to the point where they exclude the Father pretty much entirely, but be that as it may, this was my viewpoint. 

The Father gets ignored, but that also doesn't automatically mean we should then ignore Jesus either, to recognize the Father. 

The purpose of this article, then, is to study and see what the example of the Apostles was, and indeed the very instructions we ourselves have been given, to see what we should actually be doing. 

First, we're going to examine worship and praise being directed toward Jesus, since this is the easiest question to answer, and then we'll examine prayer last of all. There's a certain key piece of information in all of this that really holds the key as to why the answers to these questions are what they are, and we'll get to that as part of the question on prayer.

Praise and Worship

Like I said earlier, mainstream Christianity has really overdone the amount of praise that is directed toward Jesus, and pretty much ignored the Father. The reason I say they have overdone it is because of what Jesus Himself said. 

John 7:18 NASB95 — “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

John 17:4 NASB95 — “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

He came, not to glorify Himself, but to glorify the Father. His purpose was to bring honor to the Father's name, not His own. 

Philippians 2:9 NASB95 — For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

Philippians 2:10 NASB95 — so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Philippians 2:11 NASB95 — and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here again, we see that the glory of the Son is the glory of the Father, but also that the Father is, in fact, glorifying the Son. That is what brings glory back upon the Name of the Father. So in essence, they glorify each other. 

There's no question that the Father is worthy of praise and worship, no question at all. 

What about the Son?

Well, the Son is glorified, as we have seen, and He is worthy of worship and praise, even during His time here on Earth as a human. 

Matthew 14:33 NASB95 — And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

His disciples worshipped Him as God, and He did not rebuke them. In other places where people attempt to worship angels or men of God, they are stopped and rebuked since worship only belongs to God. 

Revelation 19:10 NASB95 — Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Worship belongs only to God, not any angels or humans. Satan is the only angel who seeks to be worshipped; true servants of God do not seek such things. 

Revelation 5:12 NASB95 — saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

Revelation 5:13 NASB95 — And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Revelation 5:14 NASB95 — And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Jesus, however, is worshipped here, and in fact, has an entire song sung in praise to Him by all creation. 

Matthew 2:11 NASB95 — After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Here, Jesus is worshipped as a baby, and no one stops them. Prior to this, we saw angels praising and worshipping when He was first born. We see worship directed to Jesus in the Psalms as well.

Psalm 2:11 NASB95 — Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.

Psalm 2:12 NASB95 — Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Psalm 45 is written in praise of Jesus, as well as Psalm 72.

Psalm 72:11 NASB95 — And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.

Then, on the road after His resurrection, some of the women worshipped Him as God. In fact, worship is something that is reserved only for God and can never be given to any other being without it being idolatry, as we saw. 

Matthew 28:9 NKJV - And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

So, based on the evidence and examples given to us in Scripture, praise, glory, honor, and indeed worship do belong to Jesus. 

Why?

Quite simply, because Jesus is God. 

Honoring Jesus is the same as honoring the Father. Praise, glory, honor, and worship belong to Jesus, just as they do to the Father. We shouldn’t neglect one in favor of the other.

John 5:22 NKJV - "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,

John 5:23 NKJV - "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

What is Prayer?

Now, praise and worship are one thing, but prayer is entirely another. Should we direct any prayers at all toward Jesus?

There’s an important question we must answer before we can answer this question, and it is: What is prayer?

What is prayer?

Have you ever given that much thought, or like me, have you just gone through life doing it?

It’s a question I never really thought to ask before this, but the answer really is necessary if we are going to be able to determine if we should pray to Jesus.

Prayer is often thought of as a general conversation with God, or perhaps worship and thanksgiving, a time where we make our requests, but Paul distinguishes between different kinds of communication with God. 

1 Timothy 2:1 NKJV - Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks be made for all men,

Δέησις

A seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty

Προσευχή

Prayer addressed to God (Made from two words πρός = toward, and εὔχομαι = to wish)

Ἔντευξις

A falling in with, meeting with (αἱ τοῖς λῃσταῖς ἐντεύξεις, Plato, politic., p. 298 d.); an interview, a coming together, to visit, converse, or for any other cause; that for which an interview is held, a conference or conversation (Polybius, Diodorus, others), a petition, supplication

Εὐχαριστία

Thankfulness, giving of thanks

So here we have earnest requests for needs, general prayer, desires or vows directed toward God, a coming together for petitioning on behalf of someone else, and thanksgiving, all distinguished from each other. 

All of these things do actually fall under the heading of prayer, as we’ll see in a moment. Prayer, by the specific Greek word used, is worshipful, reverent communication with God, but it has different aspects to it. 

When Paul distinguishes between the different types of communication, he is showing us that there are different aspects to our relationship with God. 

It’s not just a conversation. 

Paul is showing that there is more depth to our communication with God than just a general conversation. 

There are urgent pleas, general communication often in a worshipful manner, advocacy on behalf of others, and grateful thanksgiving for what He has done. 

Ephesians 6:18 NKJV - praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

Philippians 4:6 NKJV - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Colossians 4:2 NKJV - Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

In these verses above, all of the things we just talked about are lumped under the title of prayer. Prayer can contain supplication, thanksgiving, and intercession, and it should be earnest. 

1 Peter 4:7 NKJV - But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Prayer should be serious, not just a casual conversation with a buddy. 

That’s what distinguishes prayer from a regular conversation with a friend. It’s the posture you assume in the prayer, whether it is a reverential and humble posture or the attitude of talking to a peer. You prostrate yourself before the Creator of the Universe when you are praying; you aren’t chatting with your bro. Prayer to God is multi-faceted, containing many layers depending on the purpose for which you are praying. 

It teaches intentionality with our prayers rather than casualness.  

If we were going to define prayer, then it would be any words directed toward God. Any praise, thanksgiving, worship, requests, or interceding on behalf of others falls under the heading of prayer. 

It’s all prayer.

Seriously!

Our attitude when coming before God should be an attitude of extreme humility, not coming before Him and demanding that He do things for us as some practice, and certainly not ordering God around!

God is not a genie in a bottle!

James 4:6-10 LSV - but [God] gives greater grace, for this reason it says, “God sets Himself up against proud ones, and He gives grace to lowly ones.”

7 Be subject, then, to God; stand up against the Devil, and he will flee from you; 

8 draw near to God, and He will draw near to you; cleanse hands, you sinners! And purify hearts, you split-souled! 

9 Be exceedingly afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and the joy to heaviness; 

10 be made low before the LORD, and He will exalt you.

The attitude with which we come before God in our prayer should be one of reverence, which is deep respect, like you would have for a king, or even fear, like the fear you would have for the power of a king. 

Hebrews 12:28 LSV - for this reason, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, may we have grace, through which we may serve God well-pleasingly, with reverence and fear, 

29 for our God [is] also a consuming fire.

Αἰδώς aidos

Shame, modesty

Εὐλάβεια eulabia

Caution, circumspection, discretion, fear, anxiety, dread (for by using this more select word, the writer in Hebrews 5:7, skilled as he was in the Greek tongue, speaks more reverently of the Son of God than if he had used φόβος)

Isaiah 66:2 NKJV - For all those [things] My hand has made, And all those [things] exist," Says the LORD. "But on this [one] will I look: On [him who is] poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

The people God will look to are those with the proper reverence for His word and who are humble in spirit. That’s the attitude we should have when coming before God, and it’s the attitude of a created being before its creator. 

Something has changed, however, in the way we are able to approach God in prayer, and it is because of Jesus. 

In the Tabernacle system, the High Priest could enter the throne room of heaven once a year, and he had to do so timidly and on behalf of the people. If he had missed one step, God would strike him dead. Since no one else could enter the holiest of holies, they would tie a rope around the high priest's ankle so they could pull him out if he died. 

We, on the other hand, have direct access to the holiest of holies through the blood of Jesus and because we bear His name. 

Hebrews 4:14-16 LSV - Having, then, a great Chief Priest having passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—may we hold fast the profession, 

15 for we do not have a Chief Priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but [One] tempted in all things in like manner, [yet] without sin; 

16 we may come near, then, with freedom [openly], to the throne of grace, that we may receive kindness, and find grace—for seasonable help.

We now have the freedom and ability to come before the throne of God and make our supplications directly to Him. We still must be humble and contrite in spirit, but we now have that freedom. 

So, now that we know a bit more about what prayer is, should we be directing it to Jesus?

Praying to Jesus

Should we direct any prayers at all to Jesus?

Jesus Himself told us to pray to the Father, and He is the example we are supposed to follow. 

Matthew 6:9 NASB95 — “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

So, perhaps that should be an open and shut case right there. Since we have the example of Jesus Himself, we should just take that and leave it there. That's pretty much been my viewpoint for quite a few years.

There's just one problem, though.

There's a bit more to it than that one verse, and there is no command NOT to pray to Jesus. 

John 14:13 NASB95 — “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:14 NASB95 — “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

We have a section here that is puzzling if we are to believe that praying to Jesus is wrong, because Jesus is talking about after He goes to the Father in this section, and He says whatever you ask in My Name will be done. Notice who says will do it, though. 

He will! 

Whatever is asked in His name, He will do it! 

Not the Father, but He, Jesus, will be the one to do it. 

To be even more clear, He restates what He said again in verse 14 and says, “If you ask Me in My name, I will do it.” That's Jesus telling His disciples to make requests to Him in His name and Him saying He would answer them and carry them out. 

Here we have a direct instruction to present our requests to Jesus in His name, and Jesus Himself promises to carry them out. This also gives a different twist to the idea of what “in His name” means, doesn't it? 

“In His name” means that we bear His name just as a wife bears the name of her husband, and a son bears the name of his father. Rather than saying “in Jesus' name” at the end of our prayers, it means we come before Him bearing His name, not our own. 

We come before Him as His family!

The section in John above is the first section of Scripture that made me reevaluate my views on whether or not we should pray to Jesus, because it directly contradicts the beliefs I held. 

There are some direct examples in Scripture of prayer being directed to Jesus, and we’ll look at those next. The first one is the example of Stephen, who called on Jesus as he was dying and prayed for Him to receive his spirit. 

Acts 7:59 NKJV - And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Acts 7:60 NKJV - Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Here, he clearly calls upon Jesus to not only receive his spirit but also not charge the sin to the account of those who are in the process of murdering him. The same words were used by Jesus at the time of His death toward the Father, and He also asked the Father not to hold it against those crucifying Him. Ironically, many who call themselves Christians have done exactly that by hating the “Christ killers.”

Luke 23:46 NKJV - And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

Then there is the example of Paul, who pleaded with Jesus three times to remove the thorn in the flesh, and Jesus actually responded to him. 

2 Corinthians 12:8 NKJV - Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV - And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:10 NKJV - Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Then there is the case of the disciples asking Jesus for guidance in picking the replacement for Judas. 

Acts 1:24 NKJV - And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen (Revelation 2:23)

Acts 1:25 NKJV - "to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."

There is the ending of the letter to the Corinthians where Paul directs a sentence to Jesus and says, “O Lord, come!” Clearly a direct phrase to Jesus, which is, in essence, what a prayer is. 

1 Corinthians 16:22 NKJV - If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!

1 Corinthians 16:23 NKJV - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you.

1 Corinthians 16:24 NKJV - My love [be] with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

John says something similar at the end of Revelations.

Revelation 22:20 NKJV - He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:21 NKJV - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.

Jesus comes to Ananias in a vision, and Ananias has a face-to-face conversation with Him. 

Acts 9:10 NKJV - Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."

Acts 9:11 NKJV - So the Lord [said] to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for [one] called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

Acts 9:12 NKJV - "And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting [his] hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."

Acts 9:13 NKJV - Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

Acts 9:14 NKJV - "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."

Acts 9:15 NKJV - But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

Acts 9:16 NKJV - "For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

Acts 9:17 NKJV - And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Again, Paul makes a reference to calling on the name of Jesus directly, which is in fact a prayer.

1 Corinthians 1:2 NKJV - To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Now, there may be some question that the one referred to as “Lord” in the New Testament is, in fact, Jesus, but that’s pretty clear if we let the Bible define itself. 

Philippians 2:9 NKJV - Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

Philippians 2:10 NKJV - that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

Philippians 2:11 NKJV - and [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here again, we have Jesus being called Lord, and the recipients of the letter being encouraged to call on His name for salvation. 

Romans 10:9 NKJV - that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:10 NKJV - For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:11 NKJV - For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Romans 10:12 NKJV - For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

Romans 10:13 NKJV - For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

This again brings us to a simple fact. The reason we are able to direct prayer to Jesus is the same exact reason we worship Him. 

He is God, and not “just” God, but Yahowah Himself.

He is the one who was prayed to and guided the Israelites throughout the entire Old Testament, and so,  He is still God and all the more worthy of our praise. In verse 13 of Romans, Paul quotes Joel chapter 2 and uses it about Jesus. 

When we go to Joel 2, we find that what Paul is quoting is about Yahowah! The tetragrammaton. 

Joel 2:32 NKJV - And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

    

How can this be?

It’s quite simple, really. Both the Father and the Son are Yahowah, and they both appear in the Old Testament. One of the clearest examples of this is in Zechariah 2:8, where we see one Yahowah sending the other. 

Zechariah 2:8 NASB95 — For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

Zechariah 2:9 NASB95 — “For behold, I will wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me.

Zechariah 2:10 NASB95 — “Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the LORD.

Zechariah 2:11 NASB95 — “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.

It’s quite clear by this point that prayer can be directed directly to Jesus, and we have direct instructions from Jesus Himself to do so. The reason for this is that He has always been one of the ones prayer is directed to as the main Being interacting with humanity. 

1 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV - and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

So, can we pray to Jesus?

I think so! 

He is God. He gave us instructions to do so, and we have clear examples from the Apostles that show them praying to Him, or giving us instructions to call on His name. As we saw earlier, He is worthy of worship, which is an aspect of prayer. 

It seems quite clear, which means I was wrong this whole time, a difficult thing to say after having vigorously defended the position that no prayer should be directed to Jesus, period. 

Moving on. 

One Last Word

One question now remains, at least in my mind. Since prayer can and should be directed to Jesus, when do we pray to the Father, and when do we pray to Jesus?

Well, there’s no clear-cut distinction, but we are told some things in Scripture that can help us. First, we cannot come to the Father except through Jesus, which naturally requires a covenant relationship with Jesus if we are going to do so. 

John 14:6 NKJV - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Therefore, we are baptized in the name of Jesus, which makes us part of the family. The main instruction, or the first instruction, shall we say, is in Matthew 28. There are a couple of things to take note of as we go through it, and I’ll point them out. 

Matthew 28:19 NKJV - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

“Name” is singular, meaning a single name that encompasses the Father and the Son, joined together in the same Spirit. A similar principle applies when we look at the Shema in the Old Testament. 

Through the book of Acts, we see the Apostles' examples and practice of this as baptizing people in the name of Jesus (or Joshua/Yehshua), which gives us a pretty good clue as to what is going on. 

Jesus is the representative of both God Beings to humanity, and being baptized in His name makes one part of the same family name as the Father.

Acts 2:38 NKJV - Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:47 NKJV - "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we [have]?"

Acts 10:48 NKJV - And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Acts 19:5 NKJV - When they heard [this], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 19:6 NKJV - And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Now, the word “in” means entrance into something, so they are literally being baptized into the family name. Why the name of Jesus?

Acts 4:10 NKJV - "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

Acts 4:11 NKJV - "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'

Acts 4:12 NKJV - "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Salvation comes through and by the authority of Jesus, and we are purchased by His blood. He is our Lord, that is, our Master or our Owner. It’s His name that we carry, and it’s His name that gives us access to the Father.

His Father is also our Father, and Jesus is our mediator. He reveals the Father, and He is our elder brother. He intercedes on our behalf before the Father, and He is our healer. He is the Head of the Assembly, and because of that, the Head of every man. We receive our instructions directly from Him, and He guides us through His Spirit. 

Now, forgiveness of sins comes through the Father, but salvation comes through Jesus. In like manner, when we go to the Father, we go through Jesus by the authority of His name. Yeshua is the name by which we are saved, but that salvation is from the Father.  

All prayers to the Father are only possible because of the salvation of Jesus’ blood and His name that we bear. In the Old Testament, all prayers were made to Jesus, but now we have the freedom to come directly before the Father. One would think that it would only be logical to direct prayer only to the Father, but we have several examples of the Apostles praying to Jesus as well. 

So, when do we pray to Jesus rather than the Father?

Well, who says it has to be one or the other?

They are sitting side by side, and you can easily address them both in the same prayer. Since their roles are different, there might be some things that you feel are more appropriate to address to Jesus than the Father, but there are no clear instructions as to why you might choose to address them to one rather than the other. 

Jesus, it seems, can more readily sympathize with our struggles and weaknesses, having been human Himself, but there’s nothing wrong with making those requests to the Father either. 

The one thing that praying to Jesus is not is it is not asking Him because He is nicer than the Father and more likely to give us the answer we want. 

Ephesians 2:18 NKJV - For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Through Jesus, we have access to the Father, but prayers to Jesus are not so that He can convince the Father on our behalf. It’s not going to mommy instead of daddy because mommy is easier to convince. 

The model of prayer given is praying to the Father through the Son by Their Spirit. They have different roles, and praying to them based on those roles is not wrong. We can address prayers to Jesus, and we can give Him praise and worship, and I would even say we should do so. However, the standard model of prayer, the way we normally pray, and the majority example in the New Testament, is to direct our prayer mainly to the Father through Yeshua. 

Ephesians 3:14 NKJV - For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 3:15 NKJV - from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

Ephesians 3:16 NKJV - that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Ephesians 3:17 NKJV - that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Ephesians 3:18 NKJV - may be able to comprehend with all the saints what [is] the width and length and depth and height--

Ephesians 3:19 NKJV - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:20 NKJV - Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Ephesians 3:21 NKJV - to Him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Acts 4:24 NKJV - So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You [are] God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

Acts 4:25 NKJV - "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

Acts 4:26 NKJV - The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.'

Acts 4:27 NKJV - "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together

Acts 4:28 NKJV - "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

Acts 4:29 NKJV - "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,

Acts 4:30 NKJV - "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."

Notice that these two prayers are different than how we would typically structure our prayers, in that they are not ended with “In your Son’s name we pray.” Praying in the name of Jesus is different than what we think it is, and again, it has to do with bearing His name rather than literally ending our prayers that way. 

Based on the model and instructions given in scripture, there is nothing wrong with speaking directly to Jesus, but the majority of our prayers should be directed to the Father, which is made possible by the blood of our High Priest, Yehoshua the Son of God.