NYer: In contemporary terms, let’s say I have been working at Home Depot for many years without a raise. My boss is pleased with the work I have done. To whom should I go to ask for a raise - my boss or the company’s CEO?
Grate2God: Great analogy!
Terrible analogy. Neither the boss, or the company’s CEO are infinite, all powerful, all knowing beings; whereas God knows your very thoughts at this moment.
You CAN skip a man-made chain of command when you want your voice heard. Just take it to the Lord in prayer. Asking other fellow humans to ask God as well, is of course appropriate.
The only scriptural case, of enquiring the help of a deceased person, was King Saul wanting the witch to bring up Samuel. That turned out REAL bad for Saul.
I know RCs like to use the story of Solomon having a chair placed beside his throne for his mother, Bathsheba, as an example for praying to Mary. She (Bathsheba) was being a mediator for Adonijah, Solomon’s half-brother. That turned out REAL bad for Adonijah.
I do not refer to myself as an RC. Just type out the word Catholic. Okay? Can you do that?
Beautiful explanation of intercessory prayer! Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In the book of Revelation, we read: "An angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).
And those in heaven who offer to God our prayers aren’t just angels, but humans as well. John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). The simple fact is, as this passage shows: The saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.
The only scriptural case, of enquiring the help of a deceased person, was King Saul wanting the witch to bring up Samuel. That turned out REAL bad for Saul.
No one prays to dead saints, because those in heaven are more alive than we are. The Lord is God of the living, not of the dead. The fervent prayer of a righteous man is very powerful (Jas 5:16). Those in heaven are surely righteous, since nothing unclean can enter heaven (Rv 21:27). Those in heaven are part of the Mystical Body of Christ and have not been separated from us by death, but surround us as a great cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1). They stand before the throne of God and offer our prayers to him (Rv 5:8) and cheer us on as we run the good race. Intercession among members of the body of Christ is pleasing to God (1 Tm 2:1-4) and even commanded by him (Jn 15:17). Those in heaven have a perfected love, so how could they not intercede for us? Christ is the vine, and we are the branches; if we are connected to him, we are inseparably bound together as well. Can the eye say to the hand, "I need you not"? Neither are we to say we don’t need the prayers of our brothers and sisters (alive here or in heaven), because salvation is a family affair.
Only because of *what* Adonijah was asking for, not *how* he did the asking, or *who* he had doing the asking for him.