ectypal.net

The Word and sacraments are the objective means whereby God reveals Christ to His covenant people, but to cast the question in terms of Christ’s mediation or redemption draws a broader circle. The Word and sacraments are objective, though they require subjective appropriation; likewise, prayer is subjective, though it has an objective element in that prayers are offered to Christ, who objectively and truly exists. This is a difference in emphasis, as Word and sacrament are primarily objective, and prayer is primarily subjective.