The Lord’s Prayer
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:13b
The Lord Jesus, who has given us the Lord’s Prayer to pray to our heavenly Father, would have us conclude it with The Doxology. The word “Doxology” means words of praise or words of glory. What a truly fitting way to end this precious prayer that covers all the many different needs in life both for our body and soul. God the Father, who grants us all the petitions we ask of Him in this prayer, deserves all the credit, honor, and praise for so doing.
Our Father in heaven deserves all the praise, because His is “the kingdom”. Since God rules over all both in heaven and on earth, everyone and everything is subject to His dominion and His will. Therefore in His all encompassing governance He will carry out what we ask of Him in the Lord’s Prayer.
God the Father has “the power” to accomplish everything we beseech of Him in all the petitions. We have every confidence concerning this, because Scripture reveals that one of His characteristics is that He is almighty (all-powerful). There is absolutely nothing that our God cannot do for us.
And His is “the glory”. On account of everything our heavenly Father so graciously and mercifully grants us in answer to our petitions to Him in the Lord’s Prayer, He deserves all the honor, glory, and praise.
Finally, we close this prayer with “Amen”. In His small catechism, Luther explains what Amen means: “Amen” means that I should be certain that these petitions are really heard by the Father in heaven, for He Himself has instructed us to pray in this way and promised that He will hear us. “Amen! amen!” that is, “Yes, indeed, it shall be so!”
Amen, that is, So shall it be.
Confirm our faith and hope in Thee
That we may doubt not, but believe
What here we ask we shall receive.
Thus in Thy name and at Thy word
We say: Amen. Oh, hear us, Lord! Amen.
The Lutheran Hymnal 458:9