Why should we pray to God alone?
The WCF larger catechism’s answer gives four reasons. Each reason is based on the uniqueness of God as the only one worthy of receiving the prayers of all men.
Q. 179. Are we to pray unto God only?
A. God only being able to search the hearts, hear the requests, pardon the sins, and fulfill the desires of all; and only to be believed in, and worshipped with religious worship; prayer, which is a special part thereof, is to be made by all to him alone, and to none other.[1]
The Westminster divines began with “God only being…,” not merely “God being.” The God of the Bible is unique and incomparable to other so-called gods. He only is worthy of worship by all men—not just Christians. He’s the God of all men, whether they acknowledge him or not. So let’s consider the reasons for praying only to the God of the Bible.
Whereas…
1. God is the only being able to search the hearts…of all [men].
God alone can examine your heart, knowing your thoughts, intentions, struggles, frustrations, and fears. God sees and can show you things that you're not readily aware of regarding your own heart and desires. Thus, the Psalmist prayed (Psalm 139:23-24) to God:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
1 Kings 8:39, “Then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind).”
Acts 1:24, “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen.”
Romans 8:27, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
2. God is the only being able to…hear the requests…of all [men].
Just take a minute to indulge this clip and reflect on God’s ability to hear the requests of all men.
This silly portrayal doesn't even capture the full scope of all that God comprehends as the only being not bound by time.
Psalm 65:2, O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.
1 John 5:14, And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
3. God is the only being able to…pardon the sins…of all [men].
No one other than God can offer forgiveness of sins. Prayer is the divinely ordained means for asking God for forgiveness in Christ (Eph. 1:7).
Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”
Matthew 6:11, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Matthew 9:2, “And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’”
4. God is the only being able to…fulfill the desires of all [men].
We are to bring our desires to God. Not only does Scripture instruct us that he cares for us and cares to hear our concerns in prayer. He alone is able to fulfill those desires.
Psalm 55:22, Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Therefore...
God alone is to be believed in, and worshipped. So the Westminster divines conclude that prayer, which is a special part thereof, is to be made by all to him alone, and to none other.
I return to the observation made in the opening paragraph. Prayer is to be made by all to him alone. Do you remember the hymn This is My Father’s World? We don’t sing This is My Father’s Church Building, Faith Group, Tradition, or Denominational Background.
Of course, some will say that we shouldn’t expect non-Christians to behave as though they were Christians. But as Andrew Fuller rightly pointed out,
“There are not two sorts of requirements, or two standards of obedience, one for good men, and the other for wicked men; the revealed will of God is one and the same, however differently creatures may stand affected towards it.”[2]
Prayers are to be made by all to him alone, and to none other.
The WCF's Larger Catechism building on the prior question, Q. 178, prayers are to be made to God alone “in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit.” As MacArthur summarizes well,
“We do not approach God through the intercession of angels, saints, or Mary. Only through 'the man Christ Jesus' can men draw near to God. Hebrews 8:6 calls Him 'the mediator of a better covenant,' while Hebrews 9:15 and 12:24 describe Him as the mediator of the New Covenant. All men who come to God must come through Him.”[3] Prayers are to be made in Christ and by the aid of His Spirit to the God alone. True prayer is not to be done in or through anyone other than Christ as our mediator before the Father.
Footnotes: [1] Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851), 363–364. [2] Andrew Fuller, “The Prayer of the Wicked,” in The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Expositions—Miscellaneous, ed. Joseph Belcher, vol. 3 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988), 772. [3] John F. MacArthur Jr., Alone with God, MacArthur Study Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1995), 144.