20 Days With the Lord’s Prayer Day 18: Give God the Glory.

“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

We are told that Lucifer was perfect when he was created.

“Then this further message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone— red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald— all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more.””

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭28‬:‭11‬-‭15‬, ‭17‬, ‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Even though created perfect, he let his own beauty go to his head, causing him to think that he could actually take the place of the Almighty God.

““How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We know how Lucifer‘s attempt to usurp God ended, and will end. Ultimately, he will be cast into the lake of fire, to be forever tormented.

“Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭20‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As well, there is a very unusual story told in the Act of the Apostles concerning the death of Herod.

“Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.”

Acts 12‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We see that Herod accepted the worship of the people. As a result, he was instantly stricken down.

In the book of Isaiah, we see the Lord saying that He would not let the enemies of Israel ultimately be victorious over Israel. He states that He will rescue them because He does not want people to be able to say that they had won over His people such that they would receive glory due only to the Name of the Lord.

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Now, think of this: Whereas those who try to take the glory due only to God to themselves end very badly (as we saw with Lucifer and Herod), those who are His children, those who are obedient to Him, can share in His glory through Jesus Christ.

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, as followers of Christ we have the wonderful promise of one day sharing in the glory of God!

On Day 15 we discussed the fact that after having made our request known to the Lord, we turn the attention back to God, giving Him glory.

In today’s portion of the Lord‘s Prayer we consider the statement: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory . . . .” Here we proclaim that God has the authority to rule the Kingdom, the strength or might to rule the Kingdom, and as such, He should receive all the glory.

Additionally, we give more gratitude and thanks that He shares all of His wonderful attributes with His children.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!