The Doxology of Prayer

Let's pray together. Father, we are grateful, Lord, for your sacrifice on Calvary's cross and the opportunity you have given to us to be a part of your great and glorious kingdom. Today, Lord Jesus, as we come before you, we ask that you would use your word in our lives to teach us those things that will enable us to live for your glory and honor. And pray, Father, that what we learn today will take us through the rest of our lives because we know how to pray and commune with the living God of the universe.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. If you have been with us, we have been in a study of Luke's gospel, specifically looking at Luke chapter 11 verses 1 to 4 that deal with what is commonly called the disciples' prayer. We're not done with the subject of prayer because verses 5 through 13 of Luke 11 go into great detail about how God answers your prayers. And yet you need to know how to pray God's way. And so we have taken time over the last several weeks to look at the different petitions, the six petitions specifically, in the disciples' prayer, in what God says about them, and how we are to pattern our prayer life after what God himself has said to his men.

So hopefully over the last several weeks your prayer life has been changed. Hopefully over the last several weeks you have learned to pray the way God wants you to pray. That's our desire. We hope that you would follow what God's word says. And yet we would be remiss if we didn't conclude our study of the disciples' prayer with the doxology. And although Luke's account does not record the doxology as Matthew's account does, we need to be able to look at that doxology, that joyful praise offered to God, because we truly have prayed the way God wants us to pray.

Now I know there's some discrepancy about whether or not what Jesus said in Matthew 6, for thine is the kingdom, for thine is the power and the glory forever. Amen. Some debate whether or not Jesus ever really said that or not. Some commentators say yes, some commentators say no. And yet you must understand that it parallels what David said back in First Chronicles 29 11 and what the four living creatures say in Revelation 5 verse number 13.

Plus you must understand that no Jew would ever conclude his prayer on a negative note. They always conclude their prayers on a positive note. And although Jesus might not have said what's in parentheses in Matthew 6, the doxology, we know that it's all true. For God's is the kingdom. He is the all-powerful one. He's the one who receives the glory forever. Amen. So it's all true. I personally believe that our Lord did say it. And so we want to conclude, excuse me, with you this morning, the disciples prayer with that doxology by looking at five principles.

If you pray after the pattern of prayer that God has designed, you will conclude that prayer with a praise offered to God for what you have just prayed. This doxology gives you a pattern on how to conclude your prayers. I mean, for the most part, we don't think about how we conclude our prayers. You know, for the most part, it's just, well, in Jesus name, amen, without ever really thinking about what it is we're saying. But when you say amen, oh, it means far more than you can ever dream it means.

In fact, we'll see this morning, you should never say amen, unless you're willing to accept and agree with everything that has been said in the disciples prayer. We'll see that in a moment. But in Matthew's account, in Matthew chapter six, our Lord concludes that disciples prayer by saying, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. It's a great doxology. Excuse me. It helps us come to grips with several things. Number one, when I pray for thine is the kingdom, then I am affirming his program.

Our God is the king. We affirm the fact that he has a kingdom and that program runs on course, never off course. It's a program that's endless. It's a program that's changeless. It's a program that's priceless. When I say for thine is the kingdom, I am affirming that there is a king who has a kingdom that never ends. Pilate would ask the question to Jesus, are you a king? Because if you're a king, where is your kingdom? Jesus would say, my kingdom is not of this world. But we know that Jesus is a king.

We know that God himself is a king. The Bible says in Jeremiah 10, verse number 10, that the Lord is an everlasting king.

The Bible says in Psalm 29, 10, the Lord sits as king forever. In first Timothy 1, 17, Christ is the king eternal, the only wise God.

In fact, Revelation 1, verse number 5 says that he is a ruler of the kings of the earth. Over in Daniel 4, 37, he's called the king of heaven. In Matthew 2, he's called the king of the Jews. In John 1, 44, he's called the king of Israel. In first Timothy 1, he's called the king of the ages.

In Psalm 24, 7, he's called the king of glory. In Revelation 15, 3, he's called the king of the nations. When you say for thine is the kingdom, you are actually saying that, Lord, you are the ruler. And I affirm the fact that you are the ruler of all things. You're the king of the universe. You're the king of the Jews. You're the king of all the kings. You're king of kings. You are Lord of lords. I am affirming that you are the ruler of all things. Lord, you are the ruler of my life. You are the endless ruler of my life.

Way back in 2 Samuel, the Lord God promised David that he would have a seed that would sit on his throne forever. In Luke chapter 1, when the angel came to Mary and said that the child conceived in you is the king that was promised. And he will sit on the throne of his father David forever. It is an endless kingdom. And not only that, it's a changeless kingdom. Everything about the Bible points to the coming king and his kingdom. That's never changed. It's always been about the coming king. We celebrate at Christmas the birth of the king, right?

And it's all about the coming of the king and his kingdom. In fact, when John the Baptist came on the scene, he said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When he went off the scene and Jesus came on the scene, Jesus said the same thing. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom was being offered to the Jewish nation. John was saying the king is here. When the king is here, his kingdom comes. So repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus, as we've studied the gospel of Luke, said in Luke chapter 4, I must go and preach the kingdom of God.

Because that's what everything's about. Everything from the very beginning was about the coming of a king who would rule his people forever and ever. The apex of human history is the book of Revelation when that king finally comes, sets up his kingdom in the city of Jerusalem, and rules and reigns forever and ever.

And so we understand that this kingdom is what was preached. And so Jesus in Matthew 8, verse number one, said he went from village to village, from city to city, preaching the kingdom of God.

In Luke chapter 9, he sent his men out to preach about the kingdom of God. It's all about the kingdom. In Matthews 5, 6, and 7, that great sermon on the mount, it's all about the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven. He gave the orders for the kingdom. And what those who live in that kingdom look like, because he was the king. In fact, after he died and rose again, he spent 40 days with his disciples, talking to them about things pertaining to the kingdom.

Everything is about the kingdom. It's always been about the king who rules in the lives of his people. So when I say, for thine is the kingdom, in other words, for thine is the rulership, I am affirming the fact that this is an endless king with an endless rulership. And that king has always had the same message, the same program from the very beginning all the way to the very end. I'm affirming that over in my mind that my God is a king. He rules over all. Nebuchadnezzar realized that in Daniel chapter 4, didn't he?

In Daniel chapter 4, it was king Nebuchadnezzar who said these words, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him, what hast thou done? Nebuchadnezzar was an earthly king, but he had a lot of pride and he had to come to realize that there was a heavenly king who ruled even him as an earthly king.

Once he realized that, he realized that every inhabitant of the earth really is nothing, zero compared to the king who has a dominion that lasts forever from generation to generation. I am affirming this endless, this changeless, this priceless kingdom. We forget that the kingdom is the priceless treasure. The pricelessness of the kingdom is is so crucial. Remember what Jesus said over in Matthew chapter 13. He said in Matthew 13 and 44, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field which a man found and hid and from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and he bought it. Jesus says, listen, this is the kingdom age and this is what the kingdom looks like in the life of someone who realizes they are in desperate need of someone to rule their lives.

They are willing to give away everything to be a part of that kingdom. There is nothing more valuable to them than the pricelessness of the kingdom of heaven. Boy, that's, that's so important, so important. That's why the Bible says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these other things shall be added unto you, but seek first his kingdom.

Those who seek the kingdom first realize how priceless the kingdom really is. That's why Jesus would go on to say in Luke chapter 16, these words, the law, verse 16 of chapter 16, the law and the prophets were proclaimed until John, since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone is forcing his way into it. Well, when someone sees the pricelessness of the kingdom, they can't wait to get into it and to get into it, they force their way into it, spiritually speaking, because of the spiritual warfare that takes place because Satan doesn't want you to be a part of the kingdom of God.

But they see how priceless it is. That's what they want more than anything. See, we have forgotten in our presentation of the gospel that people who truly come to Christ, come to him because they realize the value of the kingdom of God and how invaluable their lives really are. As long as someone believes their life is valuable, they can't enter the kingdom of God. They just can't. If you think your life is valuable, you won't see the pricelessness of the kingdom and violently enter that kingdom.

You won't. That's why Jesus says, if any man come unto me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.

You must look at your life as nothing and not want to associate with your way of life anymore. That's why there are so few Christians in the world. So few Christians. And Jesus said in Matthew 16, what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Christianity costs you everything. It costs you everything. Because in order to be a Christian, you must exchange all that you are for all that he is. If you are unwilling to do that, you're not saved. You might think you are, but you're not. Jesus says, what would a profitable man, if he gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul?

And what will a man give in exchange for his soul? When you get saved, there's a spiritual transaction that takes place. You give away all that you are and all that you have for the pricelessness of the kingdom. It's so valuable to you. You want it so bad. You will do whatever Jesus says.

People say, well, if you go around preaching, you got to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow. People aren't going to get saved. Hey, let me tell you something.

When someone is called by God, it really doesn't make any difference what you say. They're going to get saved. Or it doesn't make any difference what God says.

If God, if God puts the demands out there, those demands are nothing to the one who has been called by God. They want what God offers because they are tired of their sin. They're tired of their life. They're tired of the way things are, and they want what God has. That's why it's called the pricelessness of the kingdom. And when I say, for thine is the kingdom, I am affirming that God's kingdom is so priceless. It's so valuable that there's nothing that I want more than God's kingdom. That's why very few people can pray the disciples prayer, because they can't say for thine is the kingdom.

Number two, not only do you affirm his program, you actually, number two, acknowledge his power. For thine is the kingdom and the power. What good is it to be a king and have a kingdom if you have no power to rule the kingdom, right? Right? You got to have power. Well, thine is the power. Psalm 62 11, power belongs to God. It belongs only to God. Nahum 1 3 says, the Lord is great in power. And Isaiah 22 says, in the Lord, God is everlasting strength. Our Lord God is called almighty 56 times in the Old Testament.

In the New Testament, there's a phrase called the Pantocrator, used of Christ 10 times, nine of them in the book of Revelation alone, because that's where the almighty power of God is seen the greatest during the tribulation and the coming king to the earth. But because I am willing to acknowledge the power of God, I am willing to acknowledge that his power rules over the universe. Lord, I acknowledge that your power rules over the universe. We forget that in Colossians 1 15 to 19, it says that Christ is a creator of all things, all principalities, all powers, and that he upholds everything with the word of his power.

He upholds all things because he's the all powerful one. The Bible says over in the book of Revelation 19, verse number six, the Lord, our God, the almighty reigns, the almighty reigns.

Even over in the book of Romans, chapter one, verse number 20, it says, for since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen. I mean, God's divine power has been clearly seen by everybody who's ever walked the earth. That's what the Bible says, because he created the universe.

He created everything in the universe. He created the man who walks in his universe. His power has been clearly seen. And when I acknowledge the fact that my God is powerful, I am acknowledged that his power rules this universe, but I also acknowledge that his power reigns in my life. Did you know that? Remember Christ said to his men in the book of Acts, first chapter, eighth verse, when I'm gone, you shall receive power.

Really? Yeah. Power. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my martyrs, you should be my witnesses. My power is going to come upon you in a supernatural kind of way. And when the spirit of God indwells a believer, he's indwelled with the power of God. That's why Paul prayed in Ephesians one, verse number 19, that we might know there's a passing greatness of his power that is within us. Not that we would get more power. You don't need any more power to do what God's called you to do.

You might think you do, but you don't, you don't need any more power because you have it already. That's why Paul told Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. The power resides within. And therefore Paul would pray that we would come to realize the surpassing greatness of the power. What kind of power? He goes on to say in verse 20, the same kind of power that raised God's son from the dead, that's power. And yet we say that I don't have the power to overcome temptation.

Really? Not according to what the scripture says. I don't have the power to overcome the difficulties in my marriage. Really? That's not what the Bible says.

Paul would pray that you know the surpassing greatness of his power, because evidently you haven't experienced that yet. The spirit of God resides within us. So when I pray for thine is the kingdom, I am affirming his program. When I pray for thine is the power, I am acknowledging that my God is omnipotent, that he's the all-powerful one, that he can do anything he wants. But you know we can't pray that prayer because we don't believe that. We don't believe that he can do anything that he wants in my life.

Oh he might do it for somebody else, but we're not quite sure he's going to do it for us. We need to acknowledge that our God is all powerful in our lives. Paul would say in Colossians 1.29 that he would strive according to the power that was mightily working in him. That's how he was able to do the things he did. He worked in accordance with the power that was already at work in him, the spirit of God. And that's the only way he could accomplish God's plan for his life. And that's the only way you can accomplish God's plan for your life as well.

And the disciples remember in Mark chapter 9 when they couldn't cast a demon out of the young boy, and they went to Christ and said, how come we couldn't do that? You did, but we can't. And you gave us the power to do so, and we've already done it before, but now we can't do it. How come? And Christ said, these things only come out by prayer. We're powerless because we're prayerless. See, that's why we're powerless. We don't go to the God who is the omnipotent one and say, for thine is the kingdom and thine is the power.

I affirm, Lord, that you have a program and that program runs on course. And that program is all about your kingship and your rulership in my life. And it is so valuable. It is so priceless that that's all I want more than anything else. And yours is the power. And that power resides within me to accomplish those things you've asked me to accomplish for your glory. Number three, when I close my prayer and I say, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, I am not only affirming his program.

I am not only acknowledging his power. I am in the process, adoring his person for thine is the glory. Boy, what a, what a beautiful statement. Remember way back in Exodus 34, Moses said, show me your glory or I want to see you. Now, now Moses had spoken with God. Okay. And he had seen the, the vision of God in the burning bush when God would speak to him. But he, he says, Lord, I want to see your glory. Give me the whole kit and caboodle. I want to see the whole part of you. Show me your glory. And the Lord God says, I can't let you see my glory and live.

No man has seen God and lived Moses. If you, if you see my glory, you're going to die. So I'll tell you what to do. I'll hide you in the cleft of the rock and I'll pass by you. And I'll let you get a glimpse of my afterglow because you can't look full bore because if you do, you'll die. So the Lord God would pass before him. And as he passed before him, the Bible says that the Lord God proclaimed, the Lord descended in the clouds, stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord.

And then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding loving kindness and truth who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. The point being is that what Moses saw is what he heard God say, because your perception of God is determined by the revelation that God gives you. And God revealed himself as he spoke to Moses, proclaiming his nature, proclaiming his glory, because you see the glory of God is, is who he is.

And so when you think about the glory of God, you're saying for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Lord, yours is the glory. You are adoring the person of God. You are adoring the bigness of God. God is big. God is big revelation. I'm sorry. Psalm 19 verse number seven says the heavens are telling the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the works of his hands. In other words, the heavens talk to us about the vastness of God, the greatness of God, how incomprehensible God really is.

When you speak of God's glory, you speak about how big God is. You know, when you were a young kid used to sing in Sunday school class, my God is so big, so strong and so mighty. There's nothing my God cannot do. Remember that? In fact, you used to stand up on your chairs. When you were, when you were kids, you used to stand up your chair and say, my God is so big. And she put her hands out there or he put his hands out there and you get on your chair. You see, my God is so big. You yell at that word big, so strong and so mighty.

There's nothing my God cannot do. And those kids would sing at the top of their lungs. And, and you were part of that. When you become an adult, your God's not so big anymore, is he? Kind of tiny, kind of small. God hasn't changed, but your perception of God has changed. God is still big. You just don't see him as such anymore. We don't, we can't sing that song as adults because we don't think that my God is so mighty. There's nothing my God cannot do because there's something we think he can do.

Well, he can't heal my marriage. He can't help me with my bitter attitude. He can't take away my sinful actions. My God can't do that. Really? Really? My God is so big, so great, so mighty. There's nothing he cannot do. My God is so big. When you speak of his glory, you speak of his bigness, but you also, you also speak of God in terms of his brightness. Because God is light, right? In him is no darkness at all. And the glory of God is the revelation of God manifested in light. And so that's why he dwells, verse 76, 16, in unapproachable light.

That's why you can't look upon him and live. He is so bright because he's so pure. He's so holy. And whenever God, remember when Christ manifested his flesh on the Mount of Transfiguration, the glory of the Lord would, would, would stream out of him because it's his brightness. And that's why when he returns, once again, the whole earth will be dark. But because he's so big and so bright, when he returns, the whole world will see him. Which speaks of his, his glory. When the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in all of his glory.

The glory of the, of the Son is a sign of the Son. And he comes with all of his bigness in all of his brightness for all the world to see. That, that's why God can say, you are light. You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before me. And why? Because you are partakers of the divine nature. God is light. God's in you. Therefore, because God's in you, he shines forth through you. He, his, his, his brightness is, is reflected through your life. That's why Christ says, you are light.

You don't become light. You are light. Because the glory of God is manifested in your life. And so when you adore his person, you adore the fact that he is so big, there's nothing he cannot do. He is so bright, so pure, so holy. And you know what? When you adore his person and say, for thine is the glory, you are talking about his beauty. The beauty of God in all of his splendor and all of his wonder. The Bible says in John 1, 14, we beheld his glory when the word became flesh, the glory full of grace and truth.

Listen to what the Psalmist said about this. Listen very carefully. Psalm 26, verse number eight. Oh Lord, I love the habitation of thy house and the place where thy glory dwells. The Psalmist says, I love that place where your glory dwells. So much so that when you come to chapter 27 of Psalms, it says in verse four, one thing I have asked from the Lord that shall I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple.

One thing I seek, one thing I desire, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. There was a deliberate passion on the part of the Psalmist that manifested itself in a daily passion. That I might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Now listen to this. Psalm 84. Psalm 84, verse number one.

How lovely are thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts. My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. How many people do you know whose hearts actually yearn and long for the courts of the Lord, the dwelling place of God? Now listen to this. Verse four. How blessed are those who dwell in thy house. They are ever praising thee. The blessed one is the one who longs to dwell in the house of God. So much so, the Psalmist would go on to say in Psalm 84, verse number 10, for a day in thy courts is better than a thousand outside.

I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. There's a song that is sung, very popular among young people today, a Christian song. Better is one day in your courts. Better is one day in your house. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I was going to have our young people sing it today, but I decided not to because most people can't sing that song. Can't. They'd rather be someplace else in the house of God. We can't say, Lord, better is your place, your dwelling place, your habitation, than a thousand places elsewhere.

Because if truth be known, we'd love to be someplace else. Whether it's a marathon, a jog-a-thon, a walk-a-thon, or decathlon. Run on Sunday, we'd rather be there than in the house of God. If we have an opportunity to go do something, only one day, and it's Sunday, and I can forfeit the house of God, I will. Because we can't say, as a psalmist said, better is one day in your house than a thousand places elsewhere. How easy it is for Christians today to say, you know, I'll just blow church off today.

I'll blow it. I'll go someplace else. You know, we live in the age of grace. Our God is a forgiving God. Yes, he is. He is. But the blessed man who is the one, according to the psalmist, who loves to be in the house of God. And if you love to be someplace, you'll forfeit everything else to be here. You will. Because you want to be blessed by God. And it's better to be here than a thousand places elsewhere. Can you actually sing that song? Could you actually believe that? I know people, strong Christians, who will, at the drop of a hat, be elsewhere than here.

Folks, I don't understand that. I don't get that. That's incomprehensible to my mind, that a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ would forfeit church to do something of such menial temporal tasks, when we know that the presence of God inhabits the praises of his people. To miss an opportunity to be with the people of God in the house of God, to get a glimpse of the intimate walk with God. It was all about his relationship with the living God. It was all about how we could be with him. Lord, if there's one thing I desire, one thing, yes, I will seek.

It's to dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, so I might behold your beauty. Lord, I want to see your glory. I want to see how beautiful you are. And Lord, whatever I got to do to get there, I'm going to get there. For most people, it's whatever I can do to miss it, I'll miss it. If I can get an excuse to be gone, I'll take the excuse. Where do you stand with that? Can you actually say, for thine is the kingdom, and thine is the power, and thine is the glory. Lord, I adore your person.

I adore your beauty. I adore your brightness. I endure the fact that you are so big. There's nothing my God cannot do. And therefore, God, I submit humbly to your authority in my life. And then, number four, you come to the place and you say, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Forever? Yeah, forever. That's a long time. Forever, right? That means that I acclaim his permanence. I loudly acclaim his permanence in my life. That means that that guarantees his reliability. It's forever.

If it guarantees his reliability, it gives me security. It gives me security. It helps me to trust my God because he's so reliable. He's forever. Listen to what the Bible says.

Psalm 48, verse number 14, for such is God, our God, forever and ever. He will be our guide even to death. The psalmist says, my God is so eternal. He is so forever that he will guide me even to the point of the door that opens to eternity. He guides me each and every step of the way. Over in Psalm 33, verse number 14, it says, the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. The plans of his heart to all generations. And then it says over in Psalm 105, verse number eight, he has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

You see, it guarantees his reliability. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Lord, you are reliable forever. I can count on you, God. I know I can count on you. I can't count on anybody else. See, our problem is we want to count on somebody we can hold on to and we can see. You can't. As loving as your spouse is, you can't count on them. You can only count on God. He's reliable. He's forever. And that gives me security. Listen to what the Bible says.

Deuteronomy 33, 27, the eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. It's God's arms that are everlasting. And then over in Psalm 91, verses nine and 10, when God is your habitation, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. If God is your habitation, if God is your dwelling place, if God is your security, no evil shall harm you. You will be secure because of his power in your life. It says over in Hebrews 13, five, that he will never leave us, nor will he ever forsake us.

So much so that way back in the book of Isaiah, the 40th chapter, it was Isaiah who wanted to reassure the people of God about who their God is because they had to say, have you forsaken us, God? Have you left us to ourselves? And Isaiah reminds them, do you not know, have you not heard the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth? He goes and picks on three distinct attributes of the Lord God, that he is the creator, he is the Lord, and he himself is the one who is everlasting.

Because he's everlasting, he's always there. Because he's the Lord, he has the power to control everything that's always there. And because he's the creator, he created everything that's there, because he has the power to do so, because he's always there. And Isaiah says, as he goes on, I'm saying verse 29, he does not become weary or tired. He is understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary and to him who lacks might, he increases power, though yous grow weary and tired and vigorous men, young men stumble badly.

Yet those who waited for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. That's our security, all based on his reliability, because he's forever, forever. It's a long time. It's forever, right? So when I pray God's way, listen carefully, and I follow the pattern that he has designed for me to follow in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, I conclude joyously for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

And then amen, amen. And when I say amen, that means, listen carefully, I am accepting his purpose for my life without question. Never say amen to your prayer unless you're willing to accept God's purpose for your life without exception, because that's what it means. It's a word that means so be it. Let it be. In fact, the word, the name amen is one of the ways to describe Christ in Revelation 3. His name is the amen, right? Because the fullness of all that we need and all that we are is wrapped up in the great I am, whose name is amen.

Let it be, Lord. So be it, Lord. So be it, Lord, that thine is the kingdom. So be it, Lord, that your kingdom and your program rules over my desires and my plans and my program. So be it, Lord, that your will be done in my life. Forget about my will, Lord, but your will be done in my life. I accept your will for my life, Lord Jesus. And not only that, Lord, I accept the fact that your name must be hallowed in my life. And Lord, I accept your provision, your daily provision. Lord, I've already asked, give us this day our daily bread and whatever bread you give me that day, because you know what my daily needs are, I accept the bread that you're giving me today as from you and I agree.

So let it be, Lord. And I accept the fact, Lord, that you will direct my paths and you won't lead me into temptation, but you will deliver me from evil. And I accept the fact, Lord, that I am to be a forgiver of my brother. I accept it. I accept it and I agree to it. It's a prayer of conviction. It's a prayer of conviction that says, Lord, I agree to your direction in my life, your plans, your purposes, your priority in my life. I agree to that, Lord. I can't say amen unless I'm willing to agree that, Lord, you are sovereign, you rule over all, you have a plan.

It overrides my plan and your direction in my life, your will for my life is better than anything that I can conjure up in my heart. And Lord, I accept that and I agree to what it is you have given me this day. And not only do I agree to it, Lord, but I appreciate it. That's what it means to say amen. Amen. I appreciate, Lord, what you're doing. I appreciate your direction. I appreciate your will. I appreciate your provision. I appreciate, Lord, the fact that you've forgiven me and allowed me to forgive others.

Lord, I appreciate that all so much. I accept. I accept everything you have given to me, Lord, because I have prayed your way. You see that? That's how our prayers are to conclude, with an overwhelming gratitude and appreciation that God will answer, because he does. And then next week, we'll go into that whole parable and prayer about how God longs and desires to answer when you ask, because that's our God. That's the God we serve. Let me pray with you.

Father, thank you for today. What a great joy to be able to look at your word and to realize, Lord, that we need to be able to close our prayer, accepting and believing that all you say and do is true.

And appreciate, Father, what you've given to us. Appreciate the fact that you'll answer prayer, agreeing to the fact that, Lord, your will, your purpose is your way far exceeds anything in my life. So, Father, we pray that we will be like the disciples. And see, Lord, teach us how to pray the way John's disciples taught them how to pray. And then follow through on the direction you've given to us, that we might be able to truly see the hand of God in the answers to our prayers, because we truly will say, for thine is the kingdom, thine is the power, thine is the glory forever and ever and ever.

And, oh, Lord, thank you. I appreciate and accept all that you give me. Amen.