How to pray?

Question

How should someone pray if he is christian ...? is it true that Christian should only pray to Jesus and not the angel, or the saints, the good spirits or anything, or that any representation of divine things is not good when you pray ? When someone is to pray , does it have to be necessarily in a totally empty room with no reminder or anything religious like (a cross, an image of the Christ, Mary and so on ..) ..what should we be looking for in a spirituality ..? some people, believe in God, pray to the angel, and get their problems solved ...!! The saints, Mary, the angels, the good spirits are part of heaven too, what should we pray to them to guide us ..? I really can't understand, why we should only have a single form of prayer , and the other spirtiuality allows a diversity of way to go to God ...can't really get that ...!!

Answer 1

The bible tells us that there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we pray to the Father through the son. When you pray, just talk to God, like a person who knows everything and loves you completely. Trust Him with every secret sin, with every deepest fear. He will never use anything against you.

There aren't lots of rules and regulations. The bible does say not to pray "to be seen of men"...it's a personal communication. So, if you are a believer in the bible, won't you do what it says? There is no one else who is our mediator, other than Jesus.

There is a beautiful scripture in Hebrews, which tells us that we can come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy....because of what Jesus did on the cross. Remember when He died, the curtain in the temple was ripped, from top to bottom. Jesus became the way to communicate directly with God, from that moment on.

Answer 2

You're going to get lots of opinions on this, so look out!

First, if you've been baptized, you're already a part of God's family, and that means you have the right to pray to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin, any of God's angels, or any of God's saints, always remembering that true worship is reserved for God alone.

All of us came to know and love God the Father through the redemptive work of Jesus, so there's no dispute that he's the number one mediator between God and man ... but he's not the ONLY mediator, and the scripture never intended to convey that meaning of exclusivity.

Jesus has already appointed and authorized many other trustworthy souls to help him with that chore ... chief among them, his own Mother.

Anyone who assists another in any spiritual action may be considered a mediator of sorts.

Regarding making use of the items we call "sacramentals" like crosses, or statues, or religious artwork ... if you realize that those items are merely aids to make your prayers more focused, or more inspired, than there is nothing at all wrong with using them.

The church officially amended the commandment dealing with images, in light of the fact that God himself saw fit to reveal himself to us through the flesh IMAGE of his Son, Jesus, who is even described in scripture by the Greek word, LOGOS.

Most people find prayer is most productive when they can get away form distractions and focus only on what they have to say to God.

The actual setting is up to you.

Many people get a lot of good praying done while driving, walking, or biking. Others prefer a stationary, quiet place, and prefer to pray on their knees. See what works best for you.

Any combination of formal, written prayers and conversational, personal prayer will do.

Just try to remember to give God thanks and praise, to apologize for your sins, to tell him exactly what you need and why, and to believe that God will respond to your prayer.

Answer 3

Folks who say there are more than 1 mediator between man and God are not following a true Gospel. And I notice they never post any scripture to back up what they say. God tells us very clearly in 1 Timothy 2:5 that there is only 1 mediator between man and God "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"

Mary was a human being just like you and me and we shouldn't be praying to her. Was she a Virgin? Yes, absolutely! No where in the Bible, Gods Word, does God tell us pray to Mary or anyone or anything other than Him. There are not multiple mediators we pray to. People who teach this are relying on Church doctrine, not the word of God.

Answer 4

as long as your prayers are sent to Christ and/orGod and/or the Holy Spirit they can be said anywhere and in any form. as long as they are not said in vain.
in reveilations we are told that the saints are waiting under the altar - hence i too agree that they are in heaven. God would not have made their lives a part of the bible had they not been of importance, teachers of how to come to and live through Christ.
personally my deepest form of prayer just comes - sometimes in an ornate church, sometimes before my Crucifix at home, before my bed, walking in the woods or yes, even in the shower. one favorite is walking along the seashore when i'm often reminded of pope john paul 2's favorite hymn -- "Lord when you came to the seashore, You weren't seeking the wise or the wealthy but only asking that i might follow. Oh Lord, in my eyes You were gazing, kindly smiling my name You were saying, all i treasured i have left on the sand there, close to You I will find other seas."

Answer 5

Jesus taught us to go into a private room, shut the door, and pray to God the Father. In this way, we avoid public demonstrations of false piety, such as the Pharisees (Matthew 6:5-8). While we're alone with God, there is a quietness that keeps our spirit focused on Him alone.

Once you've mastered this, you can then expand to prayer in other locations, but be sure it is not at all apparent that you're praying. Again, you do not want to call attention to yourself. Understand that prayer is an intensely intimate, private conversation between you and your Creator.

The Bible explains that one of the Holy Spirit's functions is to teach us how to pray (Romans 8:26). Open yourself up to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to move through you.

Follow the pattern Jesus gave us at Matthew 6:9-13. Don't pray this exact prayer, like the "heathens" do; instead, try to incorporate these elements into your prayers, and they will be complete: praise; submission to His will; ask Him to help you to provide for your needs; ask for forgiveness, as we know He forgives us; ask that He not permit us to be tempted in order to test our faith; and praise Him again.

Of course, not all prayers will contain all of these elements. But you should try to work in a large amount of praise every time you pray to the Father.

When you pray, you should pray in Jesus' name; different denominations either prohibit or permit prayer directly to Jesus, since Jesus is, after all, God.

I hope this helps. Peace.

Answer 6

Hi Bobby, Christ's disciples asked him the same question and this is what he told them in Luke 11:1-3 "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread."

Jesus is telling us to pray to the Father. He was always glorifing the Father. There is nothing wrong with praying to Jesus because he was God Almighty Himself. But, Jesus tells us to pray to God, the Father.

In first John 14:13 Jesus tells us we should ask our prayers in His Name "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Answer 7

At the bottom of it all, prayer is simply you talking to God. Yeah, it really is that easy.

Sometime people will start with Mary or the saints because these were human beings just like the rest of us who had to struggle. It's easier for some people to identify with them. But what you are really doing is gaining inspiration for your prayers to God.

There are as many forms of prayer as there are people - meditation, recited prayers, litanies, free-form conversations, communal prayer, liturgy, music, silence, nature... whatever it is that lets you express yourself in conversation with God.

Answer 8

God is in my heart and everywhere around me....I don't need a Church or a priest to tell me how to pray... and to tell me what is good or wrong....to tell me that this religion is good...and other religion is bad...How can someone say something like this? How can someone judge other religion and say that it's bad? I read Bible and Koran ....it's not too much differences between...Only the "rules" are different...and who made the rules? Priests...
That's why I don't belong to any church...to any religion....But I believe in God!

Answer 9

pray to God -In the name of Jesus

Answer 10

You don't pray to Jesus either. You pray to God, through Jesus. Your pray is what comes from you heart, not something repeated from the Bible. When they ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, he said like this, not repeat these words.

As for praying to anyone else, the Bible says not to be trying to communicate with the dead, and I assume all these others did die?