Is praying to Saints biblical?
ISA.8.19
In Isaiah 8:19 NASB: “When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” As well as in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 NASB: “So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, and did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.”
We see that consulting the dead on behalf of the living is not permitted to us. The Bible does not ever makes a qualifying statement on praying to saints in heaven. Over and over again we see that we are meant to go directly to God in our prayers. The difference between communicating with saints on earth and the ones in heaven is that we are commanded to pray for one another and bear each others burdens on earth we are not commanded (quite the opposite) to seek communication with departed saints. You will not find a single verse in the Bible directing you towards praying to departed saints in heaven. A case can be made for honoring them biblically but not for communicating with them through prayer.
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27 NASB
“who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Romans 8:34 NASB
Over and over and over again we are pointed to prayer directed only towards God because He alone is described as our intercessor in the heavenly realm. Now… hypothetically (meaning we have no proof of this biblically) if Christ were to want to use departed saints to intercede for us on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit He could, but that doesn’t change anything. Our prayer is still directed to God and He alone can reveal that to the saints.
Let me know your opinions and interpretations!