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Pray
then in this way: "Our Father, who is 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 also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For Yours is the
Kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen." (Matthew
6.9-13)
The Power & The
Glory
Henri Nouwen described the
three great temptations for all humanity as
power, fame, and success. They lure us like
bees to honey.
We spend much of our lives
striving to dominate
others or avoid
domination by them (power issues). Additionally, something
within us yearns for significance. We want to think
that our lives matter and count for something with
others, perhaps many others (fame issues). And we vigorously
pursue success, in part because it gives us power and
fame.
Every day we wrestle these demons. These
gargoyles come at us with the silky song of
the sirens, seducing us in subtle ways. Like the
Tempter of old (see Genesis 3.4-5), inner voices coax
us to desire personal power and glory. The call
feels irresistible.
It's not that we crave
lots of
power and glory -- just a little. A little authority
over others; a few accolades and bouquets.
But the little quickly becomes insufficient
and our lust for more becomes
insatiable.
Our pursuit of power and glory inevitably produces
conflict and discontent. Most of us
discover that whenever we feed this longing, we
nourish a cutworm.
The prayer of Jesus slices straight
to the core of such corruption.
"For Yours is the
kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever."
Only as we relinquish our own pursuit of
power and glory, can we know the freedom of
the kingdom and the richest blessings of the Lord's
Prayer. True liberation comes when we surrender
power and cease striving for it.
Real release happens when we give up the dream of
personal fame and glory. It's counter-intuitive; but it's the
Kingdom way.
The competitive rivalry
in marriages, churches, and workplaces makes it
obvious that power and glory remain destructively
attractive among us. As Jesus draws his model
prayer to a close, he shines the light on our
corrosive quest.
Our hearts find healing when
we lay down our passion for power and give up
our grasp for glory. How else shall we be subject to
one another (see Eph 5:21) or practise piety in
private, without mentioning it to others (see Matt
6:1-6, right before the Lord's Prayer)?
None of this comes
naturally or easily. Perhaps all the more reason
to hand it all to the Father, as Jesus suggests.
After all -- His power and glory is all that
matters ultimately.
"For Yours is
the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever."
May we learn and live
this Kingdom way.
In HOPE -
David | 
