How to Pray (Part 8 of 9)

How to Pray? Part 8 of 9:

… For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever…

Scriptures:

Matthew 6:9-13

“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father, who is 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever…

Isaiah 40:28-31_KJV

 ²⁸ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. ²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: ³¹ But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Romans 11:36_KJV

“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

In this last portion of the Lord’s model prayer, Christ shows us how to close our prayers. It is not a petition like we have seen in the last several statements, but rather a confession. “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.” Recall that in the first part of the Lord’s Prayer, Christ is explaining the importance of acknowledging who it is you are speaking to when you approach God in prayer. He is All Powerful. He is Holy. He knows All things (Your thoughts and motives). You are praying to the One who created you and who sustains your every breath. Prayer is often thought of as only something that you should do when you need something from God or want something done, but that is not the case for us as Christ followers. For us, prayer involves worshiping God for who He is and for us to look only to Him to supply our every need. Prayer should be of similar importance to breathing. Just as we need oxygen to survive on this planet, we need the leadership and comfort of God and that only comes from prayer to God. In like fashion we should end our prayers acknowledging once again who God is and how His Will is supreme. Whatever it is that you come to Him in prayer for, know that all the power is in Him. He is powerful and willing to hear and answer our prayers when they are in unity with His will. He is able and willing to provide you with everything you need to live your life for Him.  

Practical Steps:

Brothers and Sisters, let us start and end our prayers acknowledging who God is. “For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, Forever…” This confession should, as John Calvin writes, “not only warm our hearts to press toward the Glory of God, but also to tell us that all of our prayers have no other foundation than God alone.” Brothers and Sisters we do not possess the power that we need to do this life. We need the power of our Everlasting God to help us every day. Without His Power and His Kingdom in our lives, we are hopeless when it comes to overcoming sin, overcoming sickness, or saving ourselves and others. Prayer should never be taken for granted. It is a privilege that God Almighty is willing to hear our prayers let alone answer them. Let us worship God when we pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray all throughout the day. Be thankful when you pray. Pray for God’s perfect will. Pray for others to be saved. God wants us to come to Him in prayer and look only to Him for our deliverance, supply, and hope.