Praying as a Jehovah's Witness: Focus on Jehovah and Jesus Christ

As a Jehovah's Witness, prayer is a fundamental part of our religious life. While many other religious traditions may begin their prayers with "in the name of Jesus Christ," Jehovah's Witnesses often start with addressing our Heavenly Father. However, this approach is not exclusive; we recognize Jesus Christ as our King and Redeemer, who acts on our behalf to Jehovah.

Standard Prayer Model

According to the Bible, Jesus taught us how to pray:

Matthew 6:9–15

Let your name be sanctified. 10 Let your Kingdom come. 11 Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. 12 Give us today our daily bread. 13 And forgive us our sins as we also forgive those who sin against us. 14 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

We often begin our prayers with "Dear Heavenly Father" and conclude them with "through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen." This formula recognizes the unique relationship between Jehovah and Jesus Christ.

Role of Jesus Christ in Prayer

For Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ is our mediator to Jehovah. As recorded in 1 Timothy 2:5, God instructs us: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

This scripture emphasizes the critical role of Jesus Christ as the only mediator between mankind and God. Emphasizing this, we often say, No one comes to the Father except by me. This necessarily implies a distinction between God and Christ, clearly elucidated by God in the Bible.

Praying to Jehovah

Jehovah is the name of the one God, and He alone is the listener of prayers. Consequently, we start our prayers by addressing him as our Heavenly Father. However, we recognize that the name "Jehovah" is the name of God. It is how He has identified Himself in the Bible, as we see in numerous passages such as Exodus 6:3.

For example, when we say, "Our Father in Heaven," we are addressing our personal relationship with God, while "through your Son, Jesus Christ" acknowledges Christ's role as our mediator and Redeemer. By doing this, we express our belief that Jesus is not a lesser god but a distinct being who has a unique role in the spiritual realm.

Conclusion

Praying as a Jehovah's Witness is a multi-faceted experience that brings together our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our belief in the unique role of Jesus Christ. Whether we start with "Dear Heavenly Father" or acknowledge Jesus as our Mediator, our prayers are grounded in the foundation of recognizing Jehovah as the one true God. This dual approach helps us to maintain a deep and meaningful connection with both Jehovah and Jesus.

Through this prayer model, we aim to foster a sense of trust, humility, and gratitude, knowing that our prayers can be answered as long as we sincerely seek the will of God and follow His example set by Jesus Christ.