“[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]” Matthew 6:13
God is infinite. He was before the beginning of time and will be when time ceases to exist. We are not infinite. We have a limited time on this earth. What does it mean when at the conclusion of all of our petitions to our Father that we say forever?
How often have we said the word “forever” and meant “sometime out in the future.” What if forever meant today and all of my days?
“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
Here the psalmist David seems to link forever with “all of my life.” In other words now and forever going forward. That would imply that we are dwelling in the house of the Lord today—here on earth.
I have said it before we live in the kingdom of God now while we live on earth.
“‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.’” Revelation 11:15 (emphasis mine)
We come full circle to the opening petitions.
“‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.’” Matthew 6:9–10
By adding forever at the end of the prayer, it is as if we are adding an exclamatory time stamp.
I cannot help but think of singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah where the phrases, “And He shall reign,” “Hallelujah,” and “Forever and ever’ spread across the four vocal sections in harmony and in counterpoint to form a magnificent hymn of praise. Forever and ever.
God was. He is. He is to come.
When we pray the Lord’s prayer we connect to who He was as we worship Him and thank Him for all that He provides and how He delivers us. We seek Him for who He is and what He does in our life today.
When we say “forever” we join in harmony with the company of saints—n counterpoint to the world—as we recognize that He will continue to act on our behalf for all of our tomorrows—here on earth and beyond.
Hallelujah!