What Is Prayer? The Trinitarian Character of Christian Prayer

[Sung Psalm: 116]

We are concluding our catechetical series with a ten-part reflection on the Lord's Prayer. And I want to start by connecting what we have seen in the Creed with Prayer.

If our faith is a Trinitarian faith, then our prayers should be Trinitarian prayers!

Our Larger Catechism has some useful reflections on how to pray.

It starts by asking:

Q. 178. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies.

Notice the Trinitarian structure of the answer:
Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God,
in the name of Christ,
by the help of his Spirit,

and remember that the Creed goes on to speak of "one baptism for the remission of sins" and the catechism echoes that "with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies."