When Jesus taught us to end the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,” He was bringing everything full circle back to God. Notice that little word “for” at the beginning? That word connects all our requests to God’s glory.

Why do we ask for God’s will to be done on earth? FOR God’s glory! Why do we ask for our daily bread? FOR God’s glory! Why do we pray for forgiveness and deliverance from evil? FOR God’s glory! Everything we pray about should be connected to making God look awesome!

Ending our prayers with praise is super important because it reminds us WHO we’ve been talking to. We haven’t just been chatting with a friend—we’ve been talking to the King of the universe who has all power, all authority, and deserves all glory forever and ever!

It would be pretty weird to end your prayers by focusing on your problems, wouldn’t it? “Please help me with my math test, please help my family, and I’m still really worried about everything. Amen.” That would leave you feeling anxious! But when we end with praise for God’s greatness, we remember that our big God is way bigger than our problems!

Take Action: This week try ending all your prayers with your own version of “Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!” Maybe say something like, “God, You’re the King of everything, You’re stronger than any problem, and You deserve all the praise! I trust You to take care of everything!” Notice how much better you feel when you end your prayers by focusing on God’s greatness instead of your worries.