Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts

As we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For Thine is the kingdom

And the power

Power, a coveted prize in today’s world, often leads to polarization and conflict. This struggle for power is evident in many countries today, where rival factions fiercely compete to control the laws and direction of their nations.

Regrettably, many Christian voices in the United States have become entangled in this power struggle, a development that undermines the gospel and its message. Some have been misled, believing that we can advance the kingdom of God through political maneuvering. This path risks alienating those most in need of Jesus’ message and his unconditional love, and aligning us with the wrong kind of power.

We will not change the world and its conflicts based on the human need to be correct. Rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit working through us, we reach out to our enemies in love. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).

We must return power to its rightful owner, to the Lord — “for Thine is the… power” — and what did He use that power for? To raise Jesus from the dead. When everyone knows that and believes that, we will have done our job, but not until then.