This post will look at what it means to pray to the Father following a Trinitarian model. Depending on our past and our experiences, seeing God as Father can be tough and extremely difficult. What is amazing is that the Father invites us before Him to truly have a conversation with us. He knows our requests, yet He still wants to talk with us. He truly is our Source and Sustainer, yet all too often we look to ourselves, others, or things to provide for us or comfort us. Today, we all need to turn to our wonderful Father, myself included and more than anyone. He is listening and there to help us in our struggles, battles, and the daily grind.
Praying to the Father
So why should we not just pray to God or the Father? The Triune God has chosen to relate to humankind in different ways. If we were to pray just to God the Father, we might lapse into a patriarchal monotheism. In the same way, if we just prayed to Jesus, we may not see Him as Lord or would possibly follow egalitarianism.[1] The doctrine of the Trinity reminds us that the Father is the Source and foundation of all things, both of creation and salvation. Consequently, prayer is properly addressed to the Father as this glorious basis and source (Rev 4:8-11). “For this reason, in prayer, we come before the Father. We praise him for who he is, thank him for what he has done, and petition him in the face of need, because he is the good and wise supplier of all that we lack.”[2] “The Father, then, as supreme authority over even His own Son and the Spirit, is the One to who we gladly, but humbly address our prayers.”[3] A final reason to approach the Father is to confess our sins since it is always against God the Father. Sin destroys the fellowship that the Christian enjoys with the Father, and the Father is the One that forgives, we are to confess our sins to Him.[4]
[1] Ibid.
[2] Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 75.
[3] Ware, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, 151-52.
[4] Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 356.