Charles Hodge
As prayer involves ascribing divine attributes to its object, it can properly be addressed to God alone. The heathen prayed to imaginary beings, or to idols, who had eyes that did not see and hands that could not save. Equally unscriptural and irrational are prayers addressed to a creature we do not know about, and of whose ability either to hear or answer our petitions we have no evidence.
The prayers recorded in the Old Testament are uniformly addressed to God, the one Divine Being, because the distinction of persons in the Godhead was then imperfectly revealed. In the New Testament, prayer is addressed either to God, as the Triune God, or to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as distinct persons. In the Christian doxology (2 Cor 13:14), used wherever the Bible is known, each person of the Trinity is separately addressed. There are very many examples of prayer addressed to Christ. Prayer, in the scriptural sense of the term, includes all converse with God, either in the form of praise, thanksgiving, confession or petition; so all ascribing of glory to Him, as well as all direct petitions addressed to Him, comes under the heading of prayer.
The Apostles prayed to Christ while He was yet with them on earth, asking of Him blessings which only God could bestow, as when they said, “Lord, increase our faith”. The dying thief, taught by the Spirit of God, said, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom”. The last words of the first martyr, Stephen, were, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. Paul besought the Lord thrice that the thorn in his flesh might depart from him. So in 1 Timothy 1:12, he says, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry”. In Revelation 1:5,6, it is said, “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” And in Revelation 5:13, “Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever”.
As the Bible so clearly teaches that Christ is God manifest in the flesh, that all power in heaven and earth is committed to His hands, that He is 1Taken, with editing, from Hodge’s Systematic Theology, vol 3. The first article, last month, discussed “what prayer is”.
exalted to give repentance and remission of sins, as He gives the Holy Ghost, and as He is said to dwell in His people and to be their life; it thereby teaches us that He is the proper object of prayer. Accordingly, as all Christians are the worshippers of Christ, so He has ever been the object of their adoration, thanksgivings, praises, confessions and supplications.