I remember, as a new Christian, getting really confused over who it is that we actually mean when we say the name, Lord? When we say Lord are we meaning God (as in the Father, the Lord God Almighty) or do we mean Jesus (as in the Lord Jesus Christ) or do we mean the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit?

I have since been to Bible College and have a degree in theology and so I now know that when Christians speak of God or the Lord it’s actually shorthand for the Holy Trinity… even if most Christians are not be able to articulate it quite like that.

I remember as a new Christian being told by a friend that he went prayer-walking and he talked to the Lord and so I asked him to define ‘the Lord’: “Who exactly do you talk to? Who are you addressing your prayers to, when you say ‘Lord’?” His answer was simply Jesus… Jesus is Lord.

That seemed straightforward enough. So for a while I copied my friend and not really understanding what he told me, I started to pray my prayers exclusively to Jesus. However, after a couple of days I knew that something wasn’t quite right! I thought it a bit odd – maybe even inappropriate – to open a prayer with, “Dear Jesus,” and then to close it with, “through Jesus Christ.” Somehow it didn’t quite have the right ring to it. I knew that something was amiss! In the end God graciously gave me personal understanding in a vision (a waking dream) where I heard God speak to me in what sounded like my own voice and went something like this… ‘Ian think of book:

1. The author of the book is its creator. God the Father is like the author; He is Creator.
2. The actual book itself, the thing we hold in our hands, is the author’s physical representation of himself; it is the material substance or body that we can see, touch and relate to. Jesus is like the book; He is the actual and physical representation of the Author.
3. When we read the book we are actually listening to the author himself, and when we understand and connect with what we read, we feel we know the author personally and there’s a connection or relationship between the author and the reader. That’s like the Holy Spirit. – The Holy Spirit is the presence of the author with us through the book.

The author or creator is God the Father. The book (the physical substance) is God the Son. The words that speak to us through the book is (the presence of the author with us) the Holy Spirit. – The author, the book and the presence are one and same; yet they are three in one.’ – R. Ian Seymour

As an aside, I love the way Joyce Meyer explains how we sometimes hear God’s voice: “When God started speaking to Samuel, Samuel thought his master, Eli, was speaking to him (see 1 Samuel 3:4-6). Both times Eli said to Samuel, “I did not call you.” After this happened a third time, Eli finally realised God was calling Samuel. God spoke to Samuel in a familiar voice that was familiar to him so that he would not be frightened. Samuel was accustomed to hearing Eli’s voice; therefore, when God called to him, it sounded like Eli. Likewise, God wants us to listen to him, so He speaks to us through a voice that we will recognise. Sometimes it may sound like our own voice.”

Joyce Meyer, The Everyday Life Bible, (Faith Words 2018, p.423)

I remember, as a new Christian, getting really confused over who it is that we actually mean when we say the name, Lord? When we say Lord are we meaning God (as in the Father, the Lord God Almighty) or do we mean Jesus (as in the Lord Jesus Christ) or do we mean the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit?

I have since been to Bible College and have a degree in theology and so I now know that when Christians speak of God or the Lord it’s actually shorthand for the Holy Trinity… even if most Christians are not be able to articulate it quite like that.

I remember as a new Christian being told by a friend that he went prayer-walking and he talked to the Lord and so I asked him to define ‘the Lord’: “Who exactly do you talk to? Who are you addressing your prayers to, when you say ‘Lord’?” His answer was simply Jesus… Jesus is Lord.

That seemed straightforward enough. So for a while I copied my friend and not really understanding what he told me, I started to pray my prayers exclusively to Jesus. However, after a couple of days I knew that something wasn’t quite right! I thought it a bit odd – maybe even inappropriate – to open a prayer with, “Dear Jesus,” and then to close it with, “through Jesus Christ.” Somehow it didn’t quite have the right ring to it. I knew that something was amiss! In the end God graciously gave me personal understanding in a vision (a waking dream) where I heard God speak to me in what sounded like my own voice and went something like this… ‘Ian think of book:

1. The author of the book is its creator. God the Father is like the author; He is Creator.
2. The actual book itself, the thing we hold in our hands, is the author’s physical representation of himself; it is the material substance or body that we can see, touch and relate to. Jesus is like the book; He is the actual and physical representation of the Author.
3. When we read the book we are actually listening to the author himself, and when we understand and connect with what we read, we feel we know the author personally and there’s a connection or relationship between the author and the reader. That’s like the Holy Spirit. – The Holy Spirit is the presence of the author with us through the book.

The author or creator is God the Father. The book (the physical substance) is God the Son. The words that speak to us through the book is (the presence of the author with us) the Holy Spirit. – The author, the book and the presence are one and same; yet they are three in one.’ – R. Ian Seymour

As an aside, I love the way Joyce Meyer explains how we sometimes hear God’s voice: “When God started speaking to Samuel, Samuel thought his master, Eli, was speaking to him (see 1 Samuel 3:4-6). Both times Eli said to Samuel, “I did not call you.” After this happened a third time, Eli finally realised God was calling Samuel. God spoke to Samuel in a familiar voice that was familiar to him so that he would not be frightened. Samuel was accustomed to hearing Eli’s voice; therefore, when God called to him, it sounded like Eli. Likewise, God wants us to listen to him, so He speaks to us through a voice that we will recognise. Sometimes it may sound like our own voice.”

Joyce Meyer, The Everyday Life Bible, (Faith Words 2018, p.423)