Book-ended By Praise

09 Apr

Susan Merritt, PhD Christian Living, Weekly Devotional 0

“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Matt. 6:9-13)

The Lord’s Prayer ends with the praise phrase “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.” This prayer model given by Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 appears to both start with worship and end with worship. There is some controversy, however, about this phrase as it does not appear in all manuscripts.

I don’t think the book-ended praises are accidental, however. After praying for the coming of God’s kingdom and the implication of our part in the advancement of His kingdom; after praying for a future in which God’s will is done on earth and a present in which we do His will; after praying for specific needs and concerns both for ourselves and for others; after praying for forgiveness and to forgive others; after praying for protection and deliverance; how can we possibly walk away from our time with God without a sense of His glorious interaction with us? And that is the source of praise for me.

Our hearts seeking fellowship with God in all that we have prayed for places us in an ecstasy of praise that goes with us throughout our day. He is glorified in us and it is through His power in us that He accomplishes His will.

To proclaim God’s kingdom, power, and glory forever is to declare the truth. In 2 Samuel King David was promised that his kingdom and seed would continue forever. He was born into the tribe of Judah from which Jesus Christ was also born. Therefore it is not unreasonable to proclaim a forever kingdom based on the prophecy since Jesus Christ will rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 17:14 and 19:16).

Revelation 5:11-13 gives an expanded version of the worshipful proclamation found in the Lord’s Prayer: “…I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne… saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.’ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, ‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’”

Whether the final phrase of the Lord’s Prayer is correctly attached or not, the concepts of kingdom, power, and glory being ascribed to Jesus as the worthy Lamb of God and King of kings are scriptural and found more than once in the Bible.