Bible Question:

I do not know of any scripture that tells us to worship or pray to the Holy Spirit. Nor, for that matter, are we to pray to Jesus? We pray to the Father in Jesus' name. Specifically, we are told to make our supplications to God (Phil. 4:6). The word “God” means the “Father. ” Now, just one other argument from logic for not praying to the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us pray. If the Spirit Himself helps us pray “to” God then is He helping us pray to Himself? The Spirit is obviously not going to pray to Himself.

Bible Answer:

The answer to the question, “Should we pray to the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God the Father?” is no! You will discover that we should pray only to the Father and Christ. We are never encouraged to pray to the Holy Spirit nor are there any examples of people praying to the Holy Spirit. The following explains why.

Should we pray to the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God the Father

Pray to the Father

Throughout the Bible, the Old Testament saints prayed to God the Father. The first example of a prayer to Yahweh is given to us in Genesis 20:17 when Abraham prayed to God.

Abraham prayed to God . . . Genesis 20:17 (NASB)

Genesis 32:9-11 tells us that Jacob prayed to God to be delivered “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.” In Exodus 33:11-13, we are told that Moses prayed to Yahweh again. The Psalms are filled with prayers to God. Some notable ones are Psalm 17, 32, 51, 54, 55, 61, 65, 72, 86, 88, 102, and 143. In Psalm 51:1 King David prayed,

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1 (NASB)

The examples teach us that the Old Testament saints prayed to God the Father.

In the New Testament, Jesus encouraged us to pray to God the Father. He did not encourage us to pray to anyone else. He taught His disciples to pray in what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. It is actually Our Prayer or the Disciples’ Prayer. For Jesus would not have prayed this prayer because He never sinned.

Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:9-15 (NASB)

Notice that Jesus taught us to pray to the Father and ask Him for seven different things. But Jesus never taught us to pray to the Holy Spirit. Choose one of these brief studies that explain Jesus’s teachings on prayer, “Lord’s Prayer,” “The Lord’s Prayer,” “Jesus Teaches on Prayer Again,” and “What Jesus Taught About Prayer.” The primary reason we should pray to the Father is that He is the master planner. When Jesus walked on planet earth, He did the Father’s will. Philippians 2:8 says that Jesus submitted to the Father even to the point of death. Also, the Father sent the Holy Spirit and so did Christ. It is God the Father who forgives our sins (Matthew 6:12; 1 John 2:1-2). He is the one who sends the rains and provides for our needs (Matthew 6:26-33). It has been said that prayer to one member of the Trinity is prayer to all, but notice that Jesus told us to pray to the Father.

Throughout the New Testament, we find that the apostles and early Christians prayed to God the Father.

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. Acts 12:5 (NASB)

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God . . . Acts 16:25 (NASB)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Philippians 4:6  (NASB)

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you . . Colossians 1:3 (NASB)

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God . . . Hebrews 13:15 (NASB)

Pray to Jesus

Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ is found in only place in the Bible. In Acts we are told that Stephen prayed to Jesus just before he died.

And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he fell asleep. (NASB) Acts 7:59-60

Notice that he prayed to Jesus on his knees while he was being stoned. Prayer can be formal or it can be informal. But notice that Stephen prayed to Jesus.

Pray to the Holy Spirit

We have seen that we can pray to God the Father and to Jesus. What about the Holy Spirit? The New Testament does not record any teaching about praying to the Holy Spirit nor are we given any examples of an apostle or someone in the early church praying to the Holy Spirit. What we do find is that the Holy Spirit helps us pray while we are praying to the Father, and we can assume to our Lord Jesus also.

And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 (NASB)

Since He knows our thoughts and our heart, He helps us pray. That is why the apostles encourage all believers to pray in the Holy Spirit and not to Him. In Ephesians 6:18, we are told, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit . . .”  In Jude 20 we read, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit . . . ” This verse refers to being filled with the Holy Spirit while we pray to the Father or to the Lord Jesus. Romans 8:26-27 explains His role while we pray. We must remember that Jesus said the Holy Spirit will speak about Christ and not Himself (John 15:26-27). So, it would be inconsistent for us to direct prayer to the Holy Spirit Himself.

Conclusion:

Therefore, we can pray to the Father, in the name of Christ, or to our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps us do that. That is one of His ministries to us. Have you cried to God and pleaded with Him to hear and understand you? The Holy Spirit helped you and prayed along with you. It is like the little girl who told God a joke.

Susanna, an eight year old, was rebuked by her mother for laughing while saying her bedtime prayers. “It’s okay, Mom,” she replied, “I was just sharing a joke with God.”

Her mother did not understand her daughter’s heart, but the Holy Spirit did! Does God hear your prayers? Does He understand you and your prayers? Oh, yes! God hears and understands your prayers. He loves you and gives to you what is best.

Suggested Links:

Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
What did Jesus mean by whatever you ask in My name, that will I do? – John 14:13-14
Can demons be cast out by prayer or is fasting required too?
Jesus Teaches on Prayer Again
When can we pray an imprecatory prayer?
What Jesus Taught About Prayer