FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOREVER.
[Note: a pdf file of all parts of this essay is now available to download and print.
See link at bottom of page.]
If you have landed on this page first, you might wish to read the Introduction and Background for Teaching Children the Lord’s Prayer.
A simple explanation and summary of this line of the Lord’s Prayer for young children is at the end. For older children and teens, here are a few facts to share, Bible readings, and ideas for classroom or at home discussions:
FOR OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS:
1. God is THE power! Absolute, supreme power. If you look up the word “power” in the dictionary you will find many descriptions of what power is: the ability to rule and govern others; strength; endurance; influence, and so on. These are the qualities that describe God’s power, which the Bible tells us is great:
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5)
His power is not in strong muscles, or weapons of war, but in His substance of Spirit. Man, his spiritual “image and likeness,” also possesses a degree of spiritual power, which is a gift from God:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7)
Power and love. The power of Love! Nothing to be fearful of when we exude the power of love which God has given us.
The Bible contains numerous examples of God’s power in action. Every miracle, every character changed for the better, every sin defeated, is the power of Christ, God’s power on earth demonstrated. Have your class search the Bible to identify some of these instances of God’s power.
2. God’s power is not always the obvious kind of power we think about. Have your class consider the story of the great prophet Elijah in I Kings. He was on the run for his life and hid in a cave, feeling alone and scared. But God spoke to him, as follows:
“ And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (I Kings 19:11,12)
“A still small voice.” That is where we find God. God’s power was not in the earthquake, wind, or fire. He is divine Love and does not channel His power in destructive forces. We have a right to challenge the effect of such violence, knowing God’s power and glory is not there, but in His Truth and Love. God’s kingdom is come, as the Lord’s Prayer tells us.
3. God is “the glory.” Glory has several meanings. When speaking of God, glory is the great praise and honor due to God, as well as being His awesome beauty, splendor, magnificence, and majesty. We could say that glory is the radiant light of God’s attributes, or qualities, which causes His children to praise and adore Him. This emphasizes the second line of the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed be thy name.”
The Bible tells us:
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)
“I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
4. When Jesus was born the shepherds saw angels in the sky glorifying God:
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:13, 14)
5. We are to remember that true glory belongs to God, our Father, our source of all good. Our talents He gives us. Our wisdom is His. So, when we let our light shine, or receive praise for something we did, or we achieve some worthy goal, we should remember to humble ourselves and give the glory to God:
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” (II Corinthians 3:5)
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31)
“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me.” (Jeremiah 9:23, 24)
This last verse is showing us that it is the understanding of God that is a worthy accomplishment. As God’s child, we do reflect His glory in our activities and successes, but God is its source.
6. Forever. The kingdom, power, and glory of God are forever! Forever usually means for something to go on and on without stopping. With regards to God’s kingdom, it means timeless eternity – without beginning or ending. Because God’s kingdom is forever, or eternal, it never stops being what God has created it to be. There is no sense of human or clock time in eternity, where we will only experience a sense of the present when we fully realize that God’s kingdom has come.
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)
“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:5)
FOR YOUNG CHILDREN:
The Bible teaches us that God is all-powerful. That means that God is stronger than any one or any thing. He can do anything He wants to do, and no one can stop Him. That is real power! God rules the world, and His light shines everywhere. This powerful light is the “glory” of God, that will always be with us, forever and ever. We end our daily prayer with a reminder of these truths about our heavenly Father, God. Thanks to the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus gave us, we know more about God. When we pray, we become aware of God’s kingdom, and power, and glory. We let God’s light shine through us, so others will see God’s Love in action. See how brightly you can shine right now!
Because God is everywhere, or infinite, “there is no spot where God is not!” Because God is all-powerful He does not share His power with the devil, or evil. We can be brave in the face of troubles such as sickness, because our Father will protect us. Even if we cannot see Him with our eyes, God is there with us to keep us safe and happy. Our prayers will bring us closer to God and we can feel God’s power and glory. We thank God for all that He is.
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Previous: Part 8 – And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Part 1 – Introduction and Background
SEE ALSO:
Teaching Children the Ten Commandments
Teaching Children the Beatitudes
Teaching Children the 23rd Psalm
Download pdf of all parts of Teaching Children the Lord’s Prayer:
First Lessons in Christian Science 