"After this manner, therefore, pray ye: 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."
Matthew 6:9-13
Part 7
Yesterday: We Learned to Pray for God’s Help in Temptation
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
“Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray”[1] (A.B. Simpson).
Today: We Learn to Pray for God’s Glory in His Kingdom
These last few words of this model prayer have been called the “Doxology.” That literally means “words of glory.” Here at the ending of these verses on prayer, are words that glorify and honor our Lord. If you are reading from a Bible version other than King James, you may want to read this for an explanation.[2]
Although we may not know who penned these last words, their truth is seen throughout the Bible. Here is what the scriptures show us about the reality of these thoughts.
(Matthew 6:13b)
“For thine is the kingdom.”
Look what belongs to our Sovereign God: the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory! These are His for all eternity!
We pray for Him to return soon.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
He is the sovereign over everything!
“For the LORD most high is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth” (Psalm 47:2).
He is the only “King of kings and Lord of lords!”
“Which in His times He shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15-16).
“And the power.”
Our God is “all-powerful (omnipotent, omni = all, potent = powerful).” Not only does this mean He has ultimate power over everything in His creation, but He is the source of “all power.” He has set limits on all of His creation, yet He is limitless in His wisdom, might, and holiness. He can do anything He wishes according to His Sovereign will.
“God is matchless in power, unconquerable, and always victorious. This God, the omnipotent, all-knowing, all-loving, and faithful King reigns over all and holds us securely in His hand. Understanding this helps us stand, unshakable, above all that threatens to defeat and destroy us” (Jennifer Slattery).[3]
David understood this about God when He prayed before Israel as they collected an offering to build the Temple.
“Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11).
“And the glory.”
This is a difficult word to define well because, with God, there are so many aspects of His glory it is hard to nail them down. “God is in a class by himself. He has infinite perfections, infinite greatness, and infinite worth”[4] (Piper). Isaiah, the prophet, described God’s holiness this way.
“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
We might expect Isaiah to say, “the whole earth is filled with His holiness.” But he does not; he states, “the whole earth is filled with His glory!” So as our God is in a class all on His own in “holiness,” He is like no other being in His “glory.” He is glorious! All the glory for my life belongs to Him!
Our God is glorious!
“For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding” (Psalm 47:7).
“All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD, and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his Kingdom. Thy Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations” (Psalm 145:10-13).
After the proud King Nebuchadnezzar had his time living with the beasts of the field, he returned, incredibly humbled and now believing in Jehovah. Here are his thoughts on God.
“And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34-35).
John’s testimony of the Lord after Babylon the great has fallen.
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God” (Revelation 19:1).
At the end of time, everyone will glorify the Lord our God.
“Forever. Amen.”
Our LORD does not rule or reign as any other king. His sovereignty will never end!
“The LORD shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18).
“The LORD is King forever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land” (Psalm 10:16).
“But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever” (Daniel 7:18).
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).
Let us pray!
Quote: To our Great God belongs the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory, Forever! Amen, and amen! And it is this God who says He will meet our needs!
[1] Simpson’s quote Downloaded: Friday, June 4, 2021. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/quotes-by-topic/quotes-about-temptation/.
[2] “The Doxology is placed in the margin of the Revised Version. It is wanting in the oldest and best Greek manuscripts. The earliest forms vary very much, some shorter, some longer than the one in the Authorized Version. The use of a doxology arose when this prayer began to be used as a liturgy to be recited or to be chanted in public worship. It was not an original part of the Model Prayer as given by Jesus” (Robertson). A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword. Matthew 6:13.
[3] Slattery’s quote was Downloaded: Saturday, June 5, 2021. From: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-it-mean-that-god-is-omnipotent-omnipotence.html.
[4] Piper’s quote Downloaded: Saturday, June 5, 2021. From: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-gods-glory–2.