Prayer is Pledging Allegiance to God’s Kingdom
We shy away from commitment these days, placing a greater value on independence and the ability to choose. We like to keep our options open, change our minds, and do what makes us happy. While this idea seems appealing, it hurts our families and our communities. Some of the impacts are loneliness, loss of meaningful work, and increased emotional stress.
Healthy commitment helps us thrive, and prayer helps us develop commitment. During the Lord’s Prayer, when we say, “for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,” we are pledging our commitment to building God’s kingdom, not our own. This is a commitment to prioritize an alternate kingdom, connect with a different kind of power, and seek God’s glory.
Pledging to the Alternate Kingdom
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance; (Psalm 89:14-15, NRSV)
God’s kingdom is made of righteousness, justice, love, and faithfulness. That’s the good stuff, right there! And those who lean into God’s kingdom are happy. Our culture currently prioritizes power, fame, and independence–it’s not the same kingdom. Our culture shapes our perception of prayer towards an activity that gets us what we want, like a vending machine. Our prayers are the money; we punch A4 and expect our bag of chips to drop down. Instead, Jesus teaches us to prioritize God’s kingdom. Prayer framed this way is a desire to grow in our capabilities and vision for love, justice, and faithfulness.
Power that Serves
John tells us that Jesus and Pilate have an interesting interaction over the concept of power. Pilate asks Jesus what he has done. Jesus responds by saying that his kingdom operates differently; otherwise, his followers would have fought back. When Pilate can’t get Jesus to respond as he wants, Pilate asks Jesus if he knows the power Pilate has. Jesus tells Pilate the only power you have is the power I have given you (John 18 &19). Corrupt power wants people to cower (Pilate). Healthy power serves and sacrifices (Jesus).
If healthy power serves and sacrifices, then our prayer of “thine is the power” is our request to have our definition of power match God’s. Our prayer is that the Spirit would empower us to serve and sacrifice. Asking God for wisdom and strength to be servants will align us with God’s kingdom and open our eyes to see our opportunities to participate in it.
How it Manifests
I really like the word manifest. It’s mysterious and is especially fitting for how some things are perceived, like love. You see it because it reveals itself. Love manifests in emotional connection, physical intimacy, acts of care, and conversation.
John tells us that we have seen God’s glory manifested in the person of Jesus, revealing Godself to be full of grace and truth (John 1:14). God has revealed Godself in the human person of Jesus. Our prayer of “thine is the glory” is one in which we proclaim a desire for grace and truth to be revealed and encountered.
What does encountering grace and truth look like? It’s the experience of resonance. If you go into an orchestra room and pluck the e string of a bass the other e strings in the room will vibrate. That’s resonance. In our human experience it is the connection we have with one another in the midst of joy and sadness. It is the experience of transcendence at a sunset or piece of art. These are moments of resonance and they are encounters with grace and truth. Confessing that thine is the glory, is our prayer that the glory of grace and truth would fill all of creation.
Prayer as a Pledge of Commitment
When we pray together, “thine is the kingdom, power, and glory,” we are pledging our commitment to God’s kingdom. In faith, we are declaring that life is found in the kingdom of love, that uses power to serve, and manifests as grace and truth. To be swept up into this kingdom is to know the joy of walking with the God who has always been committed to rescuing and restoring creation.
