Start & End With
Praise!
"For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the
glory forever. Amen."
Matthew 6: 13
When Israel’s king and leaders contributed funds to
build
the temple, King David prayed a moving prayer of thanks
to God. He began, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the
power and the glory, the
victory and the majesty; for
all that is in heaven and on earth is Yours; Yours is the
kingdom, O Lord” (1 Chronicles 29:11).
A paraphrase of David’s words is used to conclude
the Lord’s Prayer: “For Yours is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew
6:13).
David began his prayer with praise, and praise was the
end result (1 Chronicles 29:20). Just so, the Lord’s Prayer
begins with praise (“Hallowed be Your name”) and ends
with a doxology of praise (“For Yours is the
kingdom”).
Some Bible translations omit this
final doxology from the
Lord’s Prayer, believing it does not have support from the
original manuscripts. But whether Jesus said these words
or they were added later, they are completely consistent
with the theme of praise in prayer throughout Scripture.
There's no better way to begin and end
our prayers than to praise God for who
He is and what He has done.
"The best atmosphere
for prayer is praise."
Peter Anderson