Some may be surprised at any doubt on this point, for the instincts of the soul that has been born anew, lead it out frequently in prayer to the Lord Jesus, as well as to the Father. Still the question has been raised, and it may be useful, therefore, to refer to scriptures which bear upon the subject.
That which has given rise to doubt is the verse "And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." John 16:23. Taken as it stands, this would seem conclusive that prayer should not be addressed to the Lord. But the translation is misleading, for two words of differing force in the original are here rendered by the one word “ask”. The word rendered "ask" in the first sentence of the verse is ἐρωτμω (erotao): that in the latter sentence is χἰτἐω (aiteo). Thus, "And in that day ye shall ask (erotao) Me nothing. Verily, verily, 1 say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall ask (aiteo) the Father in My name. He will give it you.”
The former word (erotao) originally only meant to inquire, and in classic Greek, is used in that sense only, but in Hellenistic, or New Testament Greek, it has the same double meaning as our English word "ask," namely, both to inquire and to make request, as in the instances: He asked the way to Richmond; he asked for water.
The second word, "aiteo," means only to ask for something. But "erotao" having two meanings, the question arises, in which of those meanings is it to be taken, in the verse we are considering? and this seems to be indicated by the context, for the Lord had just been answering the inquiries of the disciples, as it says in the nineteenth verse, "Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him." Here the word translated "ask" is "erotao." Then He answers their questions, and in John 16:23 adds, "In that day ye will not question (erotao) Me." And now, passing on to speak of prayer, He leaves the word of double meaning, and employs one which only means to make request (aiteo), "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask (aiteo) the Father in My name, He will give it you." So that when the Lord said, "In that day ye shall ask Me nothing," He was not forbidding prayer to Himself, but informing them that in a day soon to come, they would no longer be interrogating Him. He, indeed, would not be here to be inquired of; He would be at the Father's right hand, and the Holy Spirit would be here to guide them into all truth. This verse, therefore, may safely be said to give no countenance to the view that prayer may not be made to the Lord Jesus.
Not only, however, does this scripture furnish no objection against prayer to the Lord, but we have elsewhere in Scripture the highest positive authority for it, namely, Stephen, and the Apostle Paul.
“And they stoned Stephen, praying, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:59, 60 (JND).
And the Apostle Paul tells us, "And that I might not be exalted by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn for the flesh, a messenger of Satan that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted. For this I thrice besought the Lord that it might depart from me." 2 Cor. 12:7, 8 (JND). Besides this, there are prayers to which Paul gives utterance in the course of his epistles, and these are addressed both to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, "But our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. But you, may the Lord make to exceed and abound in love toward one another, and toward all." 1 Thess. 3:11, 12 (JND). Again, "But our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and given us eternal consolation and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts, and establish you in every good work and word." 2 Thess. 2:16, 17 (JND). Once again, "But the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of the Christ." 2 Thess. 3:5 (JND).
To conclude, John 16:23 does not forbid prayer to Christ, and there is ample authority for it in the examples which Scripture records for our instruction. E. Thomas