Well, then, Paul is in a whole heap of trouble with Our Lord.
• Romans 1:10 NAS always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.
• Romans 15:30 NAS Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,
• 2 Corinthians 1:11 NAS you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
• Ephesians 1:16 NAS do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers ;
• Philippians 1:19 NAS for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
• Colossians 4:12 NAS Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
• 1 Thessalonians 1:2 NAS We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers ;
• 1 Timothy 2:1 NAS [A Call to Prayer] First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
• 1 Timothy 5:5 NAS Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day
• 2 Timothy 1:3 NAS I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day,
In these Scriptures, we see Paul praying for others and asking others to pray for him. Hence, it must not be too stupid a thing to do -asking others to pray for you- else Paul is a total idiot. And if Paul can ask someone like me to pray for him to God, I see no reason why I can't ask Jesus' mom to pray for me.
And, of course, lest ye think Paul was the only idiot, then there's James.
• James 5:16 KJV Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Assuming the woman dubbed by Luke as 'blessed among women' whom all generations shall call 'blessed' fits the bill for righteousness, then Mary would seem to be a wonderful choice to have praying for you.
(Hint: like it or not, I have no doubt she actually IS praying for you, as will I and I hope you do the same for me.)
I don't think Tbpiper imagines that at all! In fact, I agree with him that we have full access to the Throne of Grace through Jesus Christ, our ONE Mediator. Paul's prayers for others and his asking others to pray for him had to do with having a personal investment in the lives and ministries of other brothers and sisters in Christ. Unlike the un-Scriptural idea of praying TO the dead, imagined "saints" or not, this kind of prayer actually works to strengthen our faith and draws us closer to each other, edifying the body of Christ. Sending prayers into the mist towards those we can never know are hearing them really does nothing to encourage our faith IN Christ.
Does God know what we have need of before we even ask for it? Yes, He does. So, prayer is for OUR benefit - to strengthen our faith and trust in our gracious Heavenly Father, who loves us and delights in blessing us. We hardly need a back channel like asking Jesus' mother to nag Him for something He may hold back because He is such a meanie. That is the kind of attitude that results from praying to dead people for favors. THEY get the glory if or when something happens, instead of God, to whom belongs ALL glory, honor and praise. No human deserves what belongs to God alone!
Do you know the difference between praying “for” and praying “to”?