Here is a great guest post by my friend (and hopefully soon to be doctoral supervisor), Dr. Myk Habets. It is a reflection on teaching his children how to pray and think about God Trinitarianly. Enjoy.
Prayer Liam-Like
Dr Myk Habets
The Baptist 127 no. 8 (September 2011), 10.
Kids are one of the most wonderful things in life! I have two of them, a 4 year girl named Sydney and a 2 year old boy named Liam (although he insists on being called “big boy” and nothing else). One of the fun things to do with kids is experiment (within the parameters of what is psychologically safe, of course). In an earlier article entitled ‘Prayer Sydney-Style’ (The Baptist, March 2010) I reflected on my experiment in prayer with Sydney and how I sought to eradicate the word ‘God’ from our prayers and instead pray in a more Trinitarian—hence relational and personal—way.
Well I am experimenting again. While continuing with prayer ‘Sydney-Style’ I decided with Liam to be as equally Trinitarian, but in another way, and conduct prayer ‘Liam-Like.’ So as with Sydney so too with Liam, I don’t pray to ‘God’ with Liam but to the Trinity, and so we use the name: Father, Son/Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit for God. But I do so in a different way than I do with Sydney. Let me explain.
There are two basic forms of trinitarian prayer—the doxological and the mediatorial. In the first prayer is addressed directly to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. In formal liturgical settings this is known as a co-ordinated doxology: ‘Glory to the Father with the Son, together with the Holy Spirit.’ ‘Glory’ in Greek is doxa—hence doxological prayer. This is prayer ‘Sydney-Style.’ The strengths of this form of prayer are that it is dynamic and personal, it directly addresses the triune God, and it (hopefully) will mean that static and remote notions or concepts of God will not be implicit in Sydney’s psyche. This form of prayer is also a trenchant affirmation of the deity of Christ as the eternal Son of God, and the deity of the Spirit as the Holy one.
Mediatorial prayer is slightly different. In mediatorial doxologies one prays: ‘Glory to the Father through and with the Son and in the Spirit.’ In this doxology prayer is directed to the Father but indirectly; through and with the Son and in or by the Holy Spirit. It thus highlights the mediation and humanity of Christ as our Great High Priest. This is prayer ‘Liam-Like.’ Under this construct we only approach the Father in and with Jesus Christ, enabled by the Spirit who unites us to him. And so with Liam I might pray something like: ‘Dear Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you loving us by the Holy Spirit.’ Or we may pray: ‘Dear Jesus, thank you for making your Father our Father, and for sending us your Holy Spirit to help us and love us.’ Here Jesus is thrust in-between ‘God’ and ‘man’ as he assumes his rightful place as our Lord and Saviour, our Priest and Mediator.
Doxological prayer, while not wrong, can have the unintended effect of diminishing the humanity of Christ and thus giving a distorted view of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Mediatorial prayer has the advantage of keeping Jesus before us as the one in whom and with whom we relate to the Father by the Spirit. As someone once expressed so beautifully: ‘Christ is the choir master who tunes our hearts for worship.’ Mediatorial prayer seeks to emphasise this fact.
Now here is what is interesting, both Sydney and Liam are now able to say grace at the dinner table and how do they typically address the Godhead? Like this: ‘Dear God…’ Is this a good thing or a theological failure on my part? Well I think it is a good thing. I hope and trust that when my children think of God and speak to God, they are explicitly and intuitively addressing the triune God of grace: the Father who loves us and has through Christ and by the Spirit given us every good gift. May a similar reformation occur in all our prayer; private and corporate, at home and at church. May we begin to experience the personal, relational, triune God of grace; not the remote god of the philosophers.
And now: ‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God [the Father], and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all’ (2 Cor 13.14).
Even so they still pray Dear God. Wonderful! Leave to children to keep it childlike.
Amen, Jon.
Bobby and Dr. Habets,
This is a wonderful post! So encouraging to hear a father who’s intentionally implanting the truth of our relational, triune God into the base understanding of his children; it’s beautiful. What they pray now is “Dear God,” but in the years to come they’ll have a deep and abiding knowledge of who that God is, bringing them into meaningful fellowship with Him as Father, Son, and Spirit.
On a personal note, earlier this year I was in need of some refreshment in my devotional time with the Lord. I happened to be reading a biography by Robert Steer on John Stott at the time (titled: “Basic Chrisitian: The Inside Story of John Stott”). In that biography was a prayer that Stott was known to pray every morning, before getting out of his bed. Being that he was Anglican, it was no surprise to me that the prayer was entirely Trinitarian. However, I was so blessed in reading and thinking through that prayer that I adopted it as my own (with a few personal modifications).
Beginning my own morning devotional time with the Lord with a distinctly Trinitarian prayer immediately brings me into a conscious fellowship with Father, Son, and Spirit. This approach to fellowship and worship of God has greatly refreshed me! It’s helped to remind me of God’s fullness, God’s glory, and His all-encompassing presence in this world, even in my own life. My thinking, praying, studying, and sermon preparation have all been enhanced simply by focusing on, and fellowshipping with, God in three Persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Daniel,
Thank you for sharing this testimony! Myk has provided a great and encouraging model here; one that we should all be engaging. And thank you for sharing about the impact that John Stott has had upon you. Stott was a good brother in Christ (still is 😉 )!
Here is “The Breastplate of St. Patrick of Ireland”, it’s a great devotional prayer.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.
Thank’s everyone for your encouraging comments! Blessings,
Thank you, Myk!