Christians

believe that the one God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and

Holy Spirit. Our minds cannot sort out all the complexities of this

mystery, but prayer is a wonderful way for the mystery of the Trinity

to find application in our lives.

A

basic understanding of prayer is that it involves all three persons

of the Trinity. We pray to

the Father, in

the name of Jesus, by

the power of the Holy Spirit.

What

this means is something really amazing. The Father, the Son, and the

Holy Spirit live together in loving harmony, each one glorifying and

supporting the others. And when we pray, the three persons of the

Trinity also graciously include and support us. Our prayers connect

us with the interchange of God’s love and amazing work in this

world.

Here’s

a picture of what that looks like: When Jesus was baptized, the Holy

Spirit descended on him as

he was praying, and the Father said, “You are my Son,

whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22). When we

pray, we participate in the same self-effacing love that unites the

Trinity. The love of God is extended to all who have been baptized in

the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

We pray because we too are the beloved children of God with whom he

is pleased!