For Thine in the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:13
The phrase For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen does not appear in certain translations of the Bible. The traditional Jewish way to end a prayer is through a doxology to God. This doxology was not included in the early texts of Scripture and was later added to the Lord’s Prayer. This phrase, as it appears in Matthew 6:13, is not used actually in the Orthodox world. When the Lord’s Prayer is used before a meal, this phrase is not used, but instead we say Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen. And then we ask God to bless our food. If a priest or a bishop is present, we would add Father/Master give the blessing in asking them to bless the food.
In a liturgical context, the Lord’s Prayer is followed by a Trinitarian exclamation: For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen. When Jesus introduced this prayer, He did not include a Trinitarian phrase at the end of it, as the relation between the Trinity had not been fully revealed by Christ. The nature of the Trinity is something that He spoke of in bits and pieces throughout His ministry. It has been the Orthodox Tradition since the earliest centuries of Christianity, to end a prayer with a Trinitarian doxology. (Doxology means to give words of glory.) In the Orthodox world, we do not say “In Jesus’ name we pray.” Not that there is anything sinful about that, for our Christian brethren who do. It is just the Orthodox Tradition to invoke the name of the Holy Trinity at the conclusion of prayer, both private prayer and Liturgical worship.
In the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, we have the opportunity to respond to God with boldness and confidence as we place all of our petitions into His care. As we pray the conclusion, we are trusting that God is in control of all things. In the Divine Liturgy, when we are about to pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are invited to offer the prayer with the words And make us worthy Master, with confidence and without the fear of condemnation, to dare to call upon You, our heavenly God, Father, and to say. We are finishing the prayer with the same confidence and boldness, that to God belongs the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever.
We spend our lives seeking our own kingdoms and power and glory, which are all tenuous. We see this especially in times of crisis. Our “kingdom”, “power” and “glory” have a hard time standing up to hurricanes or other disasters of nature. In God’s kingdom, we won’t ever had to worry about pursuing or losing them. There won’t ever be a pandemic or disaster that turns God’s Kingdom and its citizens on its head. The Kingdom belongs to God, and in His Kingdom, we will be free to enjoy His power and glory without fear of ever losing them. It is fitting then to remind ourselves that these belong to God alone.
In recognizing God’s kingdom, power and glory, we are reminded that our eternal destination is heaven and yet we can live in God’s kingdom now and in the present. Again, this is why we begin the Divine Liturgy with the words “Blessed is the Kingdom. . .NOW and forever,” because the Kingdom comes alive for us in the present.
The greatest power at work in the world is the power of God. When we consider the number of stars there are in the heavens, or the force of waves on the shore, or the roar of a waterfall or the beauty of the Grand Canyon, we conclude that there is a power much greater than us at work here.
Experiencing God’s glory can change us. In Exodus 33:18, Moses asked of God “Please show me Your glory.” And after He had seen God’s glory, we read in Exodus 34:29, When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. God’s glory changed him. Some of us are closed off to change, we act as if we are unchangeable. The face is we are all able to change, it is just a question of do we want to? Do we allow God to change us? Do we allow prayer to change us? Anyone is capable of believing in God, repenting of sin and growing closer to God.
Even the greatest human being (the smartest, richest, most accomplished) is insignificant compared to the incomprehensible majesty of God. God alone deserves all glory and is worthy of our praise. In Ephesians 3:14-19, we read:
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
We need to think about who we are giving glory to, and who is due praise—a human being who will one day die and be buried, or our eternal God. Finally, we cannot comprehend the majesty of God. If we could, that would raise us to the level of God. If we have a very deep understanding of God, and a very personal and deep relationship with Him, we will still never be able to comprehend his Kingdom, power, majesty and glory, at least while on earth, because by definition, the human being cannot have mastery over God, or even comprehension of Him.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, through the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; He shutters His voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how He has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, He burns the chariots with fire! “Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46
Points to ponder: How much thought do you give to God’s kingdom, power and glory in your everyday life? Can you remember a time when you were in awe of God’s glory and power?
