The Lord’s Prayer (Part 12) – Spot the Difference

Powerpoint Pictures: Spot the difference pictures.  Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and Lord’s Prayer prayed in church side by side.

Can you spot any differences between the two pictures?

Here’s another spot the difference.

On one side you’ve got the Lord’s Prayer found in the Bible, and on the other side you’ve got the Lord’s Prayer we say in church.

Can you spot any differences?

The big difference is the words we find at the end of the Lord’s Prayer we say in church – *“For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever.”*

Those words were not part of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples.

Where did they come from?

They are similar to what we find in the Old Testament in a prayer of King David.

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)

But why did the early church add these words to the end of the Lord’s Prayer so it ends on a note of praise?

We can’t be sure.

It could be that after praying that God will show how special He is as people are saved by His Son Jesus and those who have been saved obey everything Jesus has commanded them.

And then praying that God would provide for all our needs, forgive us for all our sins, and then protect us from sinning, they wanted to express their confidence that He would answer their prayer.

Because God is the great King who is strong and powerful and wonderful.

That He is willing and able.

Isn’t that a good way to end a prayer?