12 Jan January 11th Weekly Devotional
Therefore, when you pray, say something like this. That’s what Jesus told His disciples one the side of the mount as He is preaching to them His famous sermon. That’s what he tells the certain disciple in Luke’s account of the same.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 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 those who are indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.
That’s basically how the NKJV translates Matthew’s account in Matthew 6.
Prayer. Us Talking to God. Prayer is us expressing our needs, our desires, our pleadings, our questions, our worries, our heartaches, our distresses, our cares, our burdens to Him. It is also us expressing our thankfulness, our happiness, our joy, our comforts, our peace that comes from Him. After all, all good things come down from Him.
First though, Jesus wants us to give glory to His Father, who is also our Father, because of Him. After all, it is because of the Father that we exist in the first place, so it makes sense to give all glory to Him first, and then to His Holy and perfect will, that it be done, and then move to us, His creations’, needs.
Prayer is an act of faith. He knows what we need and what we are going to ask and what we are going to say, even before we know ourselves. We show our faith to Him with our prayers, believing with all our hearts that He is in control, and can provide us everything we need, and He and He alone has the power to do it.
The doxology, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen., is not in some translations, and was not in the manuscripts, but it is scriptural, and it emphasizes the power and majesty of God up nicely. It is derived from tradition, using scripture from 1 Chronicles 29, Psalm 41, and Psalm 72.
Blessed is the Lord God of Israel from all eternity and forever. Praise be to the Lord God, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name forever; Yours, Lord, are greatness and might, majesty, victory and splendor and Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
So on a busy Saturday, let’s give glory to God, for His kingdom, and power, and glory are forever. Amen.
