Good morning. The Lord’s Prayer, as recorded in Matthew 6:5-14, is our Lord’s wonderful example of the proper elements of prayer. The body of His example of prayer is found in verses 9-13:
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Please note that the last line is not in bold print. That is because it was added to the original manuscript, it doesn’t represent the words of our Lord.
While I am never in favor of adding to or taking away from the Word of God (we are warned by Jesus against such action in Matthew 5:18), I understand the impulse to share those words.
Originally, they were written into the margin of a manuscript as it was translated. The translator felt the need to express his personal thoughts in such a way. Those thoughts were eventually included in the manuscript itself.
I get it. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. make perfect sense as we would conclude the recital of the Lord’s eloquent prayer. Those are the words that would be spoken as one would arise from their knees after prayer, and they are words of conviction.
Yes, oh God, it is your kingdom that I vow to serve.
Yes, oh God, it is your power that will sustain me as I serve.
Yes, oh God, it is your glory that will be revealed as I do my best to serve You.
May we always remember such words of conviction as we conclude moments of prayer. May such words be a true reflection of our heart and spirit as we arise from our knees.
Vern