un understanding Jesus as God on earth praying to His Father in heaven, we must realize that the Eternal Father and Son were in an eternal relationship before Jesus took human form. Please read John 5:19-27, especially verse 23 where Jesus teaches that the Father sent the Son (see also John 15:10). Jesus did not only become the Son of God when he was born in Bethlehem. He has been the Son of God from eternity, is the Son of God now, and always will be the Son of God.

Isaiah9:5 states that the Son was given and the child was born. Jesus has always been a part of the Trinity along with the Holy Spirit. The Trinity has always existed: God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit - not three gods but one God present in three persons. Jesus taught that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). He and his father have the same substance and essence. The Father, the Son and the Spirit are three equal persons existing as God. The three had and still have an eternal relationship.

When Jesus, the Eternal Son of God, assumed a sinless human nature, He also became a servant who gave up His heavenly glory (Philippians 2:5-11). As a God-man, he had to learn obedience to his Father (Hebrews 5:8) when he was tempted by Satan, falsely accused by men, rejected by his people, and ultimately crucified. He prayed to his heavenly Father for strength (John 11:41-42) and wisdom (Mark 1:35; 6:46). His prayer showed the dependence of his human nature on his father in order that his father's plan of salvation might be accomplished, as evidenced by Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17. His prayer showed that he ultimately submitted to his Father's will, which was that he had to go to the cross and pay the penalty (death) for our breaking the law of God (Matthew 26:31-46). Of course, He rose bodily from the grave, gaining forgiveness and eternal life for those who repent of their sin and believe in Him as their Savior.

There is no problem with God the Son praying or speaking to God the Father. As already mentioned, they had an eternal relationship before Christ became man. This relationship is presented in the Gospels so that we can see God the Son in His human form doing His Father's will and thereby gaining salvation for His children (John 6:38). Christ's continued submission to his heavenly Father was affirmed and centered through his prayer life. It is our duty to follow Christ's example in prayer.

Jesus Christ was none other than God on earth as he prayed to his Father in heaven. He showed that even in being a sinless human being it is necessary to cultivate an active prayer life in order to do the will of his Father. Jesus' prayer to the Father exemplified His relationship in the Trinity and is an example for us that we must depend on God through prayer for the strength and wisdom we need. Since Christ the God-man needed an active prayer life, so do followers of Jesus today.