Paul prays to the Father (Ephesians 3:14–19) that the Ephesians would be strengthened by the Spirit so that the Son would dwell in their hearts by faith. This kind of Trinitarian prayer is not simply a formula to follow; it is the natural movement of a mind instructed in gospel truth and a heart enflamed by gospel grace.

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Like every other Catholic child growing up in the 1960s, I learned the sign of the cross as a standard way of beginning prayer. It involved both action and words. You made a simple motion, first touching your forehead (saying, “In the name of the Father”), then your chest (“…and of the Son”), and finally your left and right shoulders (“…and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”). I confess I hadn’t thought about this since I was a boy, but it came back to me recently as I was writing on Trinitarian prayer. If nothing else, I was trained very young to think that prayer involved the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This was a gracious gift of God, even though it made little impact at the time.

After decades of reading the Bible, following Jesus Christ, and participating in countless worship services, I am more convinced than ever that prayer is and should be Trinitarian. Of course, this doesn’t mean that every single prayer must reference the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But for prayer to be truly Christian, it must consistently bear witness to the three-in-one.

The Trinity in Creation and Redemption

The reason prayer is essentially Trinitarian is because, according to Scripture, everything is Trinitarian. Genesis 1 and John 1 bear witness to the activity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in creation.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:1–2)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1–3)

Second Thessalonians 2:13–14 and other passages similarly show Trinitarian cooperation in the work of salvation.¹

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 2:13–14)

John Frame nicely summarizes the mutual deity and work of the Trinity in creation and salvation: “All three stand together as Creator and Savior. Scripture joins them together in contexts of praise and thanksgiving. They are the ultimate object of the believer’s trust and hope. What else can they possibly be, other than one, somehow threefold God?”²

Read More