Victory declared

Last night my wife and I went to see a movie.  It was an adventure film packed with action.  At one point in the film the heroine quietly prayed the Lord's prayer, a prayer prayed by millions of Christians for more than 2,000 years, but she left out the last line of the prayer!  That caught my attention so when we got home I once more revisited this prayer given us by Jesus as a model of how to pray and here is the last line of the prayer that the heroine left out,

"For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen."

By its omission it stood out more boldly as I read just this part of the prayer.  It's the declaration of victory that was given by Jesus and prayed by Christians nearly every Sunday, but I wonder how many catch the implications of this last sentence.

It's a declaration that God is King of heaven and earth, that the kingdom is his, he is Lord.  It declares that his is the power. He is in charge and does as he wishes.  He's the sovereign of everything seen and unseen and his power rules.  His is the glory.  All glory belongs to him.  He is to be praised, glorified and celebrated and the one due all worship.  And then this last sentence ends with these words, "For ever and ever....."  There will be no end to God's kingdom, his power, his glory.  It will endure forever!

Victory has been declared.  It's a wonderful praise giving glory to God for his rule, his power and his glory....for ever and ever.  I wonder....how many of us leave this last sentence out of our prayers, out of our lives, as we ask God for our needs and cares.  How often do we leave out the most important part of this amazing prayer, as the heroine in the movie did, and by doing so we miss the reason the prayer can even be prayed in the first place....because the one we pray to is King with all power and glory to be able to answer the prayers we pray.  

What a wonderful declaration of victory won.  How easily we say the words and don't realize their implications.  I'm most grateful for this last sentence in the Lord's prayer.  It stands out as a mountain top for us as we live in a world that seems to be out of control.  In the midst of it all the King is on the throne with power to accomplish his will in the world and receive the glory he is due.  And I'm most grateful that this kingdom will last for ever and ever and ever.....