Grace and Peace Episode 63
Presbyterian Church of Easton
December 12, 2021
127 Q. What does the sixth petition mean?
A. “And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one” means: By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies— the devil, the world, and our own flesh— never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory.
128 Q. What does your conclusion to this prayer mean?
A.“For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever” means: We have made all these petitions of you because, as our all-powerful king, you are both willing and able to give us all that is good; and because your holy name, and not we ourselves, should receive all the praise, forever.
129 Q. What does that little word “Amen” express?
A. “Amen” means: This shall truly and surely be! It is even more sure that God listens to my prayer than that I really desire what I pray for.
Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Usually our prayers end with “Amen”. We conclude prayer that way because we can have confidence that our prayers are heard by God and God will act upon them for our benefit. Because God has infinite knowledge he can make far better decisions for us than we can make for ourselves.
But is there anything that comes after “Amen”? What’s next when we open our eyes, unclasp our hands and stand up from kneeling? Well, two things happen when our prayers end. First, we are called to live lives of service in the kingdom of God. Second, we are called to engage in spiritual warfare against the devil and the forces of evil here on earth. After praying, God equips us with everything we need to follow Christ in a fallen and evil world. In the Lord’s prayer we pray for nothing less than the Kingdom of God to replace the world as we know it.
Father in heaven, we pray that you give us what we need to serve others as your ambassadors and fight evil as your soldiers. Equip up and protect us as we advance your kingdom here on earth. We pray this in our Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.
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