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A TRIUNE PRAYER
Words by Chris Anderson; Music by Molly Ijames
Tune name: TRIUNE PRAYER
Blessed Father, hear our cry.
Cast out sin, but draw us nigh.
Not for merit—we have none—
For Your mercy, for Your Son.
Blessed Jesus, make our plea.
In Your name to God we flee;
Through Your blood we seek His face;
By Your priesthood claim His grace.
Blessed Spirit, meet our need;
In our silence intercede.
Translate groans we cannot speak,
Heal the broken, help the weak.
Triune God, please grant our prayer
As Your glory we declare.
May Your promised kingdom come;
May Your will on earth be done.
© 2010 by Beckenhorst Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
A choral setting of this hymn for SATB choir, piano, and optional string orchestra is available from Beckenhorst Press, Inc. (Catalog No. BP1903)
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DOCTRINAL NOTES
by Chris Anderson
Because God delights in worship that is biblical, thoughtful and passionate—what we often call intentional—please consider the following overview of the biblical texts and doctrinal themes behind the hymn “A Triune Prayer”:
Verse 1 addresses the First Person of the Trinity, our Heavenly Father. Echoing prayers like David’s penitential Psalm 51, it asks that He would cast out our sin, but not us—that He would draw us near to Himself. The basis of our prayer is not our own righteousness, for we have nothing to commend ourselves to Him. Mindful of the great prayer in Daniel 9:18, we approach God on the basis of His mercy, especially displayed through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Verse 2 appeals to Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, as our Intercessor. It is He who appears before His Father to plead our case (Hebrews 4:15-16; 1 John 2:2), and it is through His high priestly ministry and by His merit that we approach the Father (Hebrews 10:19-22; John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24). (See this article for more information on our constant approach of God through Christ.)
Verse 3 expresses our dependence on the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. It focuses almost entirely on Romans 8:26-27, where we learn that the Spirit assists us in prayer, especially when our frailty and burdens leave us unable to articulate our prayers according to God’s will.
Verse 4 climaxes the prayer by seeking the glory of the entire Trinity. Our longing in prayer is not merely for our own comfort, but for God’s glory (e.g. Psalm 25:11). Thus, with a heart for our Lord’s exaltation, we pray as Christ taught us, longing for His perfect Kingdom and submitting to His perfect will (Matthew 6:9).
