A podcast listener named Joe writes in to ask a perplexing question faced by all of us,

should I pray to Jesus or to the Spirit or to the Father?

It is remarkable, Tony, how many people over the years have asked me this question.

It's just one of the most common and it's a good one.

I think I understand why it comes up so much because we have traditions

that most of us grew up in and we wonder, well, is that tradition the only permissible way?

For example, most of us, this is true for me and my family, most of us in the evangelical

family probably grew up beginning our prayers with Heavenly Father or our Father

or dear Father and ending them with in Jesus name, amen.

That's a liturgy that we've just learned.

Pray to the Father, close in Jesus name, amen.

And frankly, I'm going to argue that's a great tradition.

I think children should grow up with that form as the main form of their prayer.

Pray to God the Father, in the power of God the Spirit, in the name,

or by the authority and the merit of God the Son.

That's the trinitarian structure mainly of prayer in the Bible.

And so it's not surprising that it's profoundly rooted in Scripture.

So he brews for, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession for we do not have a high priest who

unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we

are yet without sin, therefore crucial word, therefore let us with confidence draw near to the

throne of grace. We only can come to God in prayer pleading for grace because we have a high priest,

...