“…For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” - Matthew 6:13 (NKJV)
What a humbling end to such a powerful prayer. The ending of the Lord’s Prayer very directly reminds us that the power rests in the hands of the Lord. “Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. You, Father, are our Source, our Comfort, our Provider, our King. In Your hands, You hold eternity and our future.”
This whole thing is God’s story, not ours. We’re not the stars, we are the supporting roles. He is at the center, and our job is to point to Him with everything we do. This adds incredible meaning to our lives—we are no longer just living it for ourselves—and it also takes the pressure off of us. We are responsible for what we do and for being faithful with the things He has given us; but He is responsible for the results, even if they don’t look like we think they should.
This ending in many ways points to Psalm 145 which says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.” As Jesus ends this prayer with His disciples, He refocuses our hearts on adoring and glorifying the Father.
This ending also very clearly declares that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). This lends itself toward one of the most comforting truths of scripture: even when we do not understand what God is doing, He still has a purpose and a plan. Even when everything seems to be going wrong and everything seems to be outside of God’s perfect will, He is still in it, working His good. Romans 8:28 declares, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” This means that all failures, all suffering, all wounds, and even all sinfulness will be used by God to our benefit and His purpose, IF we will simply place these things in His hands and acknowledge, “God, you’re in charge!”
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Father, I recognize that You are the star—You are at the center. You are marvelous, You are glorious, You are powerful. I want everything I do to reflect Your holy name and support Your work on the earth. I submit myself to You and Your plan. I thank You that You are in control and not me. Take every piece of my life—the beautiful and the messy—and work Your perfect good in it all. Take me from where I am to where You desire me to be. Amen.”