Why do Protestants ask their friends, families and pastors to pray for them in times of need?

Question

I thought Jesus was the only mediator between God and man. So why not just pray directly to him?

2ndchhapteracts - That's great and I agree with you. However, what's interesting is that when Catholics ask God's saints for prayer, they are "worshiping saints" or "worshiping Mary."

But when protestants do it, suddenly it isn't considered worship and it is totally justified.

Thanks for the input.

Cumram, you are obviously a bit confused. To pray means to ask. They aren't different things.

Answer 1

Dear Steinbec..,
The Saints in Heaven and those others passed on still being cleansed are not unconscious . Absent from the body the Citizens of Heaven are yet present to the Lord and are as much,if not more, active members of the Mystical Body of Christ as we mortals are who are still here on earth with our many distractions .
Unlike those who live (and die) in mortal sin, the saints are not spiritually dead but alive in God for God is God of the living and not the dead(Mk12:26-27) and Abraham,Isaac and Jacob and the other worthies of the Old Law were not in "soul sleep" when Jesus taught this but present to the Lord and,then,present to us for God (and God alone) is omniscient,eternal and infinite.

Jesus conversed with Moses(definitely physically dead at the time) and Elijah at the Transfiguration (Mk9:4) and that was not necromancy, the psychic art of attempting to contact the dead supernaturally but by not going through God and in God and for God,but opening oneself not only to delusion but even the demonic quite possibly

Rejoicing in the Communion of Saints in the Mystical Body of Christ and asking their prayers through and in Christ by the Holy Spirit,is not necromancy (Deut18:10) for we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses(Heb12;1) and are dependent on Christ as the One Mediator(1 Tim 2:5) with the Father and our connector in the Spirit with each other in the Body. Jesus is the One mediator since He alone is God and Man, the only bridge between Creator and Creature. In Christ We are Mediators in the One Mediator and Intercessors in the One Intercessor.
In Rev 6:9-11 the martyred saints under the heavenly Altar do not just want justice and vindication for themselves but for their fellow Body Members for whom they are interceeding and who are still suffering '"until the number of their fellow servants...should be completed".

Catholics, Orthodox and other like Christians do pray directly to God Incarnate,Jesus, and through Him to the Father in the Hioly Spirit and we do not retrict ourselves to asking those on this side of the veil of death to pray for and with us in Christ but we ask all ,especially those closest to Christ and with clearer vision in the light of Glory.

Let us all pray for each other in faith,hope and love.

Answer 2

There is power in united prayer. We are called to pray for each other, and to be prayed for by the saints. We do also just pray directly.

* in answer to your response, I am speaking of the saints that are here. Not the ones that have passed on to heaven.
I have talked to many priests on this subject and understand what they are saying to me about those saints that have passed. Although, I do not pray to those who have passed away. I have Jesus in heaven as a mediator. As you have stated. In the Protestant church, the saints of the church are the saved, sanctified prayer warriors. This is the verse in which I was thinking.

James 5:13-16
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
NIV

Answer 3

They're saying there's no problem with asking the living to pray for them. True. I agree.

But if someone is believed to be in Heaven, in the very presence of God, how much more "alive" can a soul possibly be?

Aren't these the same folks whose loved ones' funeral services often include phrases that indicate "she's gone home to be with Jesus", or "God called him home to Heaven"? And yes, I have actually heard -- from presiding ministers, even -- the opinion that a person who died is "watching over us".

But Catholics asking for intercession from those who are in Heaven is somehow oh, so wrong.

Really, trying to figure out the difference is enough to make my head hurt.

Edited to add: Kait, you said "How could they possibly hear the prayers of millions of people?" To which I would ask you, can God not make it possible, or do you put limits on Him as well? From someone who has blocked all the Catholics on R&S you can find, and then asks questions they can't defend because they're blocked, you might do well to step down off your high horse when answering questions we post.

Answer 4

I think he's getting at the tendency of Protestants to criticize Catholics for asking saints to pray for us. People who don't understand it are quick to say that Jesus should be our only mediator, yet these same people ask for the intercessions of those around them who are still living all the time. We see no difference between asking the saints on earth to pray for us and asking the saints in heaven to pray for us.

Answer 5

GREAT QUESTION!!!!!

They all ask their friends/parents/pastor etc to pray for them and they pray for one another (and, there is nothing wrong with that). My problem is, they criticize unrelentingly when Catholics ask the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Saints for their prayers in addition to their own.

Such a misconception. Us Catholics also believe in praying to God directly...and no, we don't HAVE to pray to God through the Blessed Mother nor through the Saints, but just as we ask our friends, our priest, or our families to pray for us, we can also ask our heavenly family to pray for us in our time of need.

Answer 6

Pastor Billy says: BRAVO keep asking Protestants to explain their convoluted ideas. I've asked this same question see my questions section.

If we are to pray straight to Jesus as Protestants normally inform Catholics to do (when arguing against the communion of saints and intercessory prayer) than they should follow what they preach and do the same.
When they ask Tammy-sue down at Calvary Chapel to pray for them Protestants are no longer praying straight to Jesus and therefore are hypocrites.

If you pray straight to Jesus that's great just follow what you preach my Protestant brethren.

Answer 7

a million. Catholics do no longer worship the pope. Catholics agree that Jesus is the only thank you to heaven, and that's what the pope teaches. 2. Catholics are forbidden from idol worship, comparable as the different Christian. we don't worship Mary. we adore her and we ask her to desire with us and for us, and we are grateful to her for agreeing to convey Jesus into the international for our sake, yet we don't worship her. 3. The Bible says that Jesus enabled clergymen to absolve sin in His call - this is in John 20:21-23. additionally, the Bible says that we could confess our sins to a diverse guy or woman - James 5:sixteen. Jesus does the genuinely forgiving, the priest basically proclaims us forgiven. So, you notice, Catholics follow the Bible on that one. What you could desire to do is take some training to benefit approximately Catholicism. then you definately would be waiting to choose on in case you prefer to transform or no longer. Ask the priest at your college what training are accessible on your age.

Answer 8

Galations 6:2, Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Christians are to Pray for each other, Love thy neighbor as thyself, Jesus is the mediator, thats who we Pray to. Jesus is the only way to Heaven and the only one who answers Prayers.

Answer 9

Jesus tells us how to pray.

Matthew 6:9
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

He doesn't tell us to pray to saints or Mary, we should pray to our Father in Jesus' name.

As for as praying for each other, Paul tells us our war is not against flesh, but spiritual.

Ephesians 6

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

All believers are saints.

Answer 10

In the Bible, it states when 3 or more gather in His name, what you ask will be given you.In an agreement.