The Sum Of All Prayers

The Sum of All Prayers

Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:13

IN WORD Many translations of the Bible have this verse as a footnote because it appears only in some manuscripts, not all. But isn’t it an appropriate conclusion that confirms the way the prayer started? Not only are our prayers to begin with praise and center around it, they are also to conclude with it. At the beginning we acknowledge that the whole point of prayer is God; at the end, we affirm it. The whole point of prayer is still God. It may be intensely focused on our own needs, but underlying our expectations must be this awareness: Our prayers—as well as the entire universe—are about God’s Kingdom, His will, His character, His purposes, His plan, His ways. His attributes and deeds are front and center. His glory is the highest value. As Romans 11:36 and Colossians 1:16 tell us, everything comes from Him, everything goes to Him, everything is about Him.

There’s a reason Jesus emphasizes praise from beginning to end in the model prayer. We turn prayer into a self-absorbed activity much of the time. What starts out as a petition for God to be glorified turns into a petition for us to be saved from some discomfort, or to be vindicated, or to be victorious. Though our purposes and God’s may often overlap, given our choice of one or the other, deep down inside we would often choose our own. That’s why Jesus reminds us: Prayer, the Kingdom, even our very lives—they’re all about God.

IN DEED The heart that does not realize that, not only in principle but also in practice, will never be content. Why? Because it has an agenda that is swimming against the flow of the universe. When all is said and done, everything will point to God. If our prayers don’t go ahead and point to Him, they are futile activities and illusions.

No one wants a futile prayer life. How do we avoid it? The model prayer is to be our model. We should begin with hallowing the Name and end with seeking the Kingdom. A God-centered prayer is glory from beginning to end.

The pulse of prayer is praise.

—WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD