Prayer and Praise

for Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen.  Matthew 6:13

Is – Life is a struggle, isn’t it?  Things don’t always go the way they should.  Tragedy and trials are a part of our daily existence.  In spite of prayers for bread, guidance and deliverance, bad things happen.  Maybe God isn’t in charge after all.  Maybe He’s letting ha satan, the Accuser, have run of the place.  If you ever doubted God’s sovereignty, this part of the prayer is for you.  The Kingdom is God’s!

We can’t appreciate the end of Yeshua’s prayer unless we understand the impact of its stark contrast.  We have just recognized that evil is present in this world.  It is concomitant with temptation.  All of this cosmic battleground might lead us to believe that God is in a tough fight and that the end is undecided.  Yeshua’s prayer shouts, “No!”  “Yours is the Kingdom.”  In spite of everything we observe, God is fully in charge.  The Kingdom is not evil.  Ha satan is not the victor.  The Accuser cannot wrest the world from God’s hand.  No matter what contortions our Enemy brings into life, he will not prevail.  God is King.  His Kingdom is evidenced wherever He reigns and rules – and, in the biggest picture, this means everywhere. 

With the introduction of this declaration of victory and vindication, we enter the doxology.  Immediately we are confronted with the congregational aspect of Yeshua’s prayer.  This doxology is for us.  It is not the praise of an individual hidden in the prayer closet.  It is the joyous shout of the community, celebrating the majesty and power of God.  This is sheer, unadulterated praise.  Nowhere is there room for “I” or “mine.”  There is no solitary relationship with the Father here.  This is prayer spoken while holding hands, joined in the pursuit of holiness through the veil of tears.  But it is not the prayer of a particular church or group of believers.  It is the prayer of all His children.  He is their King and His shield defends and protects them.  It is His Kingdom that reigns forever and all those called who embrace His rule will join Him in its consummation.

Notice that the Kingdom is His alone.  “Yours is the Kingdom.”  It is not shared, not loaned and not divided.  God is its only Lord.  While we are invited to participate, we are not co-engineers of the Kingdom.  The Kingdom is His doing, His design and for His glory.  Just as Moses was only able to see the passing of God’s glory, so we stand in the same cleft in the rock and observe where He has been.  That is enough for us.  Our hope in the ownership of the Kingdom is secured in the character of the King.  We need only look where His glory has been to see that He is rock-solid reliable.  And that’s what it means to have faith.  Faith for us (the community of His saints) is not bottled emotional longing.  Faith is as real as our history with Him.  Do you want to see the Kingdom’s King?  Look back!  See His handiwork through the ages, back and back, until at last you are there, peering into the beginning.  This Kingdom is His!  Celebrate that.

Topical Index:  kingdom, doxology, Matthew 6:13