The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory

In teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus explained that these intimate opportunities to address God should most often be done in private. He also taught that our prayers should come from our hearts, using our own words rather than repeating a specific prayer with the exact same words time after time (Matthew 6:5-8).

To help His disciples know what to pray about, Jesus also provided a model prayer outlining important subjects to include. This model prayer—found in Matthew 6:9-13—is commonly referred to as the Lord’s Prayer.

It is important for us to note that Jesus did not intend for us to repeat the exact words of this outline every time we pray. After all, the biblical examples of Jesus praying show that He used different words as He conveyed His thoughts to the Father under various circumstances.

But this model prayer is helpful for us because it gives us subjects to regularly pray about and a perspective to bear in mind as we communicate with our Heavenly Father. For additional explanation, see our online articles “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Do You Pray the Way Jesus Taught?”

With this understanding of Christ’s model prayer in mind, let’s focus on the phrase recorded in the last part of Matthew 6:13, where Jesus concluded: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Yours is the kingdom

This part of the phrase repeats a concept included earlier in the model prayer. After addressing our Father in heaven and hallowing (honoring) His name, we are instructed to pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).

Referencing the Kingdom of God at the beginning of our prayers and again as we conclude them reminds us that the coming Kingdom of God is the overarching story of the Bible. This concept is a foundational principle of Christianity.

The gospel—good news—of the Kingdom of God is what Jesus preached during His earthly ministry (Mark 1:14-15). “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” He said (Matthew 6:33).

Faithful believers have their citizenship in this Kingdom, which is currently in heaven (Colossians 1:13; Philippians 3:20). When Christ returns, this Kingdom will be established on earth, and we will reign with Him on earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 1:6; 11:15; 20:6). Eventually, this Kingdom will be delivered to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24) and will extend into eternity.

As we pray about the Kingdom of God, we are reminded of and grounded in the purpose for our lives and our future. God doesn’t need to be reminded of His plan, but we do. Praying for the coming Kingdom of God helps us remember that it is a central part of God’s plan for mankind and that we need to be preparing to serve within it.

The power

Because we humans do not see the spirit world, it is easy to overlook the fact that God has all power. Currently, during this present evil age, God has allowed Satan to have power and authority (Luke 4:6; Galatians 1:4). But God remains in control of His plan and retains His overall authority. He gives His ministers power over evil spirits and the opportunity to ask for divine healing of people they anoint (Luke 9:1; 10:19). When Jesus returns to earth, He will remove Satan and use His power to rule over the entire earth (Revelation 11:15).

Faithful Christians receive a small portion of God’s power through the Holy Spirit when they repent of their sins, are baptized, and have hands laid on them for the reception of this gift from God (Acts 1:8). Paul described this Spirit as one of “power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7) and listed nine traits that are the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit empowers us to please God in the way we live (Romans 8:8-9). It also identifies us as children of God and seals us for redemption to eternal life when Christ returns (Romans 8:11, 14, 16; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

When God’s plan of salvation for mankind is complete, God will have total control. As Paul explained, “Then comes the end, when He [Jesus Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24).

When we close our prayers with a reference to God’s power, we are reminded that He truly does have all power and that, via the power of the Holy Spirit, we can taste “the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5). 

And the glory forever

The Greek word translated “glory” is doxa. It has a broad range of meanings, and in reference to God it includes His “splendor . . . magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace . . . majesty” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions). God has an exalted state of glory far above and beyond any other being or thing.  

Jesus was “the brightness of His [God the Father’s] glory” (Hebrews 1:3). The disciples “beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” via the miracles He performed (John 1:14; 2:11).

Referencing God’s glory and the fact that it is permanent—forever—shows honor and respect to our great Creator.

Overall meaning

Earlier, King David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), had included these three concepts—God’s rulership of His kingdom, His power and His glory—in a public prayer he gave prior to the inauguration of his son, Solomon, as king over Israel.

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all,” he prayed (1 Chronicles 29:11).

In the model prayer, Jesus instructs us to close our prayers in a similar way. When we pray, “Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,” we honor God and are reminded of His great plan, power and magnificence.