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Prayer for the week
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes seeks God’s help in apprehending his truth
A prayer for wisdom in understanding the Trinity O Lord, who can have knowledge of thy understanding and meaning, except thou give wisdom, and send thy Holy Ghost from above, to reform and redress the ways of them which are upon earth, that men may learn the things that are pleasant unto thee, and to live lovingly with one another, every man being content with his own vocation, and follow[ing] the same, be preserved through wisdom. Grant this, God, for thy Son’s sake, Jesus Christ, our spokesman and advocate; to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all praise, dominion, honour, rule and thanksgiving, now in our days and ever. Amen. Thomas Hutchinson from The Image of God, or Lay Man’s Book (1550) THIS PRAYER is a heartfelt plea for God’s help in understanding the mystery of God as Trinity. It begins with an exclamation — who can understand God, without God’s help! To understand the mystery of God, we need God to give us wisdom, and to send the Holy Spirit to aid us. The Holy Spirit is asked to change us, “to reform and redress [our] ways”, with three hoped-for outcomes: that we may understand Christian doctrine; that we may get along with our neighbours; and that we may be content with our own vocation, referring to both our station in life and our calling to be Christians. These three gifts of the Holy Spirit together comprise wisdom, and through this we will be preserved or saved. The prayer ends with a traditional doxology, which functions to round off the prayer, and also as a way of asserting the author’s Christian orthodoxy. The doctrine of the Trinity has always been problematic for many Christians, and yet has been experienced as a profound truth for contemplation by others. At the Reformation, a particular difficulty arose for those who valued the Trinity: could it be found in the Bible? Thomas Hutchinson wrote The Image of God, or Lay Man’s Book to answer “Yes.” The book is an early example of popular theology. It was intended for intelligent lay Christians, who were being encouraged to read the Bible for themselves, and to question received wisdom, and who might find themselves doubting important truths about God. Hutchinson uses the resources of human reason and logic to argue his case. Then, at the end of the book, we find this prayer. Without the gift of wisdom, without the help of the Holy Spirit, we cannot hope to understand. The Trinity is not, finally, a puzzle to be solved, but a mystery to contemplate. And the contemplation of it both requires and contributes to wisdom. Wisdom is an underrated virtue nowadays. Our society is (often rightly) suspicious of claims to special knowledge of God. Claims to wisdom can even be appeals to maintain the status quo. But this prayer sets a high value on wisdom. It is necessary for “knowledge of [God’s] understanding and meaning”. Wisdom is even salvific: we shall “be preserved through wisdom”. This emphasis on wisdom brings to mind many biblical images, for example, Solomon in 1 Kings 3, choosing to ask for wisdom — or “understanding” — as the highest good. There is also Paul’s insistence on the wisdom of the cross in 1 Corinthians 1-2, which may have been in Hutchinson’s mind when he wrote this prayer. For Hutchinson, we are both saved by the wisdom of the knowledge of the Triune God, and have to recognise that it seems folly to many. Wisdom is essential, not just in discerning what is true, but in exercising discretion over how that truth is used. In the Reformation period, the doctrine of the Trinity became a badge of orthodoxy, a test of whether an individual or sect had taken too far the task of interpreting the Bible. By emphasising the virtue of wisdom, this prayer insists that our doctrines must not just be right, but be used rightly. In the current debates in the Anglican Communion, wisdom is ever more vital. This prayer’s insistence on the point of wisdom and the fruits of wisdom is immensely valuable. Wisdom involves making the right choice about whether truth is used as a weapon, in order to attack others — or as a plough, to feed ourselves and others. The Revd Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes is Chaplain and Solway Fellow of University College, Durham. |
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