by Jon Rowe<\/p>\n
The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus is God (John 1:1, Colossians 2:9, etc). So, in an attempt to dismantle that claim, skeptics may ask, “Then to whom did Jesus pray?” While it is true that there is only one <\/b>God, He exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We like to try to explain this as one God in simply three different forms, like liquid water, vapor, and ice. That actually makes it more difficult to understand how the Son was praying to the Father. Did Jesus keep “morphing” back into a different form (i.e., from water to ice) while He was praying to God?<\/p>\n
Let’s get a more biblically based picture. When Jesus was baptized, the Son was in the water, the Spirit descended from above, and the Father spoke from heaven. God did not switch costumes to complete this scene. All three were there simultaneously. This wasn’t even a new reality, as we can see by going back to the beginning. In creating humans, God said, “Let Us <\/b>make man in Our <\/b>image<\/em>” (Genesis 1:26). God was not talking to Himself. Instead, He was speaking with Himself, within the fellowship of the Son and Holy Spirit. Concerning the Son, from the beginning, the Word (Jesus, see John 1:14) was with God and was God (John 1:1).<\/p>\n So, let’s look at this interaction with His Father while Jesus was on earth. Jesus modeled the frailty of human flesh (Philippians 2:6-7), submission to God (Philippians 2:8a), and obedience to the point of death (Philippians 2:8b). One reason Jesus came into our world was to show us what a healthy relationship with God looks like. That includes prayer. Jesus spent significant time in prayer – and those prayers were not God talking to Himself in an incoherent monologue. The Son (as a distinct person) was in communion with the Father. Before going to the cross, He “fell on His face and prayed, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will’<\/em>” (Matthew 26:39). The Son submitted His will to the Father’s will through prayer. That means Jesus had a will, and so did the Father. Although there is one God, we see two wills.<\/p>\n While all of this may still sound a little confusing to us as finite beings, it makes more sense that the Son can pray to the Father when you realize that they are two distinctly different beings, while still being part of the one triune God. The Jews quoted Moses (who quoted God) when they recited, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Hebrew word for “one” is “echad,<\/em>” which refers to a singular entity that can encompass multiple components as a composite unity. By contrast, the Hebrew word “yachid<\/em>” refers to a singular, individual entity. Is your brain still hurting? By faith, just realize that “God is in heaven and He does whatever He pleases<\/em>” (Psalms 115:3).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Jon Rowe The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus is God (John 1:1, Colossians 2:9, etc). So, in an attempt to dismantle that claim, skeptics may ask, “Then to whom did Jesus pray?” While it is true that there is only one God, He exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[90,73,87],"class_list":["post-97020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-god","tag-jesus","tag-trinity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13743,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/to-whom-should-we-pray\/","url_meta":{"origin":97020,"position":0},"title":"To whom should we pray?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: To whom should we pray? To the Father, or to the Son, or to the Holy Spirit, or to any of the three? Can we say \"you died for us\" during prayer? Answer: The majority of the prayers are directed to God in general or to God, the Father,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10876,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-you-get-some-verses-wrong-concerning-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":97020,"position":1},"title":"Did you get some verses wrong concerning prayer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a Christain who attends a Church of Christ. In a search to assist me in my study of God's word, I came across your site. I happened to be gleaning over the Scriptures listed in reference to prayer and was surprised to find that some of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34551,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-we-or-should-we-call-jesus-our-brother\/","url_meta":{"origin":97020,"position":2},"title":"Can we or should we call Jesus our brother?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can we or should we call Jesus our brother? Answer: \"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90561,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/compassion-for-the-lost-in-this-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":97020,"position":3},"title":"Compassion for the Lost in This World","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer With so much turmoil in the world, so much chaos and confusion, we should be reminded of how disciples should think of and respond to the world. This passage in Matthew 9:36-38 captures a very important principle. \"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40433,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-gain-the-power-to-do-miracles-because-he-fasted\/","url_meta":{"origin":97020,"position":4},"title":"Did Jesus gain the power to do miracles because he fasted?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Before Jesus began his ministry, he was led to the desert where he was tempted. He fasted the whole period. Many in the denominations claim he was empowered two perform miracles after his fast, such as turning water into wine, etc. In their claim, two miracle-working powers popular are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43619,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-jesus-is-without-sin-why-did-he-get-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":97020,"position":5},"title":"If Jesus is without sin, why did he get baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey Jeff, We get baptized to wash away sins. If Jesus is without sin, why did he get baptized? Answer: \"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 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