- araratchurch
- Jul 2, 2025
- 3 min read
“In this manner, therefore, 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 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. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to deliver him from some sort of thorn in the flesh. Instead of the Lord addressing his complaint, He assured Paul that His strength, His power would be shown through Paul, would be shown through Paul’s weakness!
“but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP
Jesus made clear to Paul that the power of the believer comes from the unlimited power of God.
Indeed, it’s not about our own strength and power. It is about the Lord’s strength and power. If we remain vitally connected to Him, we will have the strength to do whatever we need to do. But—if we try to go it alone—we will not succeed.
“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”
John 15:4-7 AMP
Paul, in addressing the church at Ephesus, was encouraging them by reminding them of the power and authority of Jesus Christ.
“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”
Ephesians 1:19-22 NLT
Paul also wanted the people to understand that the Lord wants to show His power through the church.
Make no mistake, no matter how weak we may feel, no matter how powerless we may think we are, for those who believe in the Lord and look to Him for strength, there is always a vast supply of His power at our disposal.
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:29-31 NLT
For today we consider the portion of the Lord’s prayer that says, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power.” Last time we discussed the fact that the Lord’s Kingdom is greater than all kingdoms. As such, He has the right to rule over all. Today we look at the fact that—as the psalmist put it—all power belongs to the Lord.
“God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.”
Psalms 62:11 NKJV
A crucial part of our relationship with the Lord is understanding that He has unlimited power that He is willing to share with, and use for the benefit of, His children.
Indeed, the Lord’s Prayer instructs that we include the recognition that all power belongs to Him. And in so doing, we will never have to feel weak or powerless ever again.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jun 30, 2025
- 3 min read
“In this manner, therefore, 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 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. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
On Day 5 of “20 Days with the Lord’s Prayer,” we discussed the fact that our Heavenly Father has a wonderful Kingdom, a Kingdom that will one day consume all other kingdoms.
Now remember, a kingdom has to have a king. And—as we discussed—our Lord Jesus Christ will reign as the King in the eternal Kingdom of God.
Let’s remember what Daniel‘s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar‘s dream revealed :
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.””
Daniel 2:44-45 NKJV
Yes, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream told the story of the coming Kingdom of God that would put an end to all other kingdoms.
Even so, as we discussed on Day 7, King Nebuchadnezzar had to find out the hard way that even though he was the greatest king on the Earth, he was still subject to the rule of God.
We discussed that another of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams (interpreted by Daniel) warned of what would happen to Nebuchadnezzar if he didn’t humble himself before the Lord.
“They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
Daniel 4:25 NKJV
Nebuchadnezzar did not heed Daniel’s advice and the prophetic dream came to pass.
“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!”
Daniel 4:28-31 NKJV
The lesson we must glean from the experience of Nebuchadnezzar is that the Lord, Who is the King of kings, must be king over our own hearts. Recognizing Him as King over all is meaningless if we don’t live in such a way that indicates that He is sitting on the throne of our hearts.
The Lord, in speaking to the children of Israel, told them what they must do if they wanted to be in fellowship with Him.
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV
Yes, the Lord responds when we seek Him with all our heart. In fact, this truth is found several times throughout the word of God.
Today’s portion of the Lord‘s prayer for our consideration is, “For Yours is the kingdom.”
Having come to the closing part of the prayer, we again extoll the attributes of our Heavenly Father. And remember, professing something that isn’t confirmed by our behavior can never please God. Therefore, in addition to declaring the preeminence of the Kingdom of God, we must make sure that he is preeminent in our own hearts.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jun 28, 2025
- 3 min read
“In this manner, therefore, 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 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. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
Many of the psalms share a certain formula: Give glory to God; present complaint or need; again give glory to God.
Psalms 73 begins like this:
“Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.”
Psalms 73:1-5 NLT
The psalmist expands on his complaint through several more verses, yet ends with these verses:
“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.”
Psalms 73:26-28 NLT
This particular psalm is a psalm of Asaph. But the most famous psalmist, David, employs this formula often as well. David approaches God with reverence, pours out himself before the Lord, then returns praise and glory to God.
If you are familiar with the book of Job, you will have perhaps noticed the same formula in Job’s complaint to the Lord.
When the first set of tragedies happened in Job’s life, this was his response:
“He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.”
Job 1:21-22 NLT
When tragedy hit his own physical body, Job was suffering greatly, such that his wife told him he should curse God and die. Yet Job responded with this:
“But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.”
Job 2:10 NLT
Then, of course, we know that Job‘s three friends, also known as Job’s “comforters,” came and accused him of being a sinner.
During this whole discourse, Job vehemently defended himself and argued with the Lord. However, he did not become disrespectful to God. Ultimately, after the Lord revealed His greatness to Job, he ended with intense repentance and lavish praise to the Lord.
““I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.””
Job 42:2-6 NLT
What we can learn from this pattern, ubiquitous in the word of God, is that we should always go before the Lord respectfully, making mention of His greatness.
Psalms 100 well expresses this principle.
“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”
Psalms 100:1-5 NLT
As well, we should be mindful to never go before the Lord with our complaint or our request and end off without giving Him glory, without extolling His greatness.
As we come near the end of the Lord‘s Prayer we see the prayer turning back to giving glory to God. For today, we simply look at the two words: “For Yours.”
Yes, having asked the Lord for several things, we are to turn back the focus on His greatness.
Next time we will explore this further.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!