Should Christians ask each other for prayer?
Discussion
Yes, of course. References in the New Testament clearly show this as living Christians going to receive prayer from other living Christians. But to claim this includes those who have died is a big stretch, especially when scripture commands us not to consult the dead and there are no examples of this practice anywhere in Scripture.
“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.” - Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Scripture tells us there is one mediator, Jesus the Christ.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” - 1 Timothy 2:5
The Saints are not dead. They are alive in Christ and present with the Lord. Just as the intercession of a Christian on earth is not a usurpation of Christ as mediator, neither is the intercession of a Christian in heaven.
Arguments from silence in Scripture, misapplied references to literal pagan child sacrifice, or claims that prayer is a usurpation of Christ do not do anything to defeat this basic entailment: a Saint that is absent from the Body is present with the Lord. The Saints make up a great cloud of witnesses to our faith and struggles towards Christ. Their existence out of their body is every bit as real as in their body. Their faith is perfected and their capacity for prayer, if anything, is increased. If we believe in the power of prayer, we ought to ask for theirs.