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

And the glory,

Forever.

Amen.

Forever. Do you know how long that is? Nobody does. It is so long that we cannot possibly grasp it. We cannot comprehend anything never ending. It is almost frightening to imagine. We are so conditioned to endings that it is impossible to imagine forever. There is no mechanism in our brains that can click on eternity.

The important thing about this is that there is no possible moment in the future when God is going to cease to be in possession of the kingdom, the power and the glory. He is the King and He will reign forever. He will never be usurped. His attributes are forever. He will always be the King. We cannot imagine this, we can only proclaim it. It is the truly never-ending story.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And He has stated that not only is He forever, but we, who put our faith in Him, are forever, too. It’s overwhelming to try and think of this. This is something that we have to take on faith. Jesus is talking to us here about something that He knows, but we know nothing about.

Forever. It has no beginning and no end. It is God, who’s always been, and who always be. Life as we know it is winding down. But this is something very different. This is life that goes on and on without end. This is too glorious to behold, but it is true of our Father in heaven, and true for us. We already have this in that we have received the first fruits of the Spirit and the life that in heaven, we will fully know.

Praise God. To Him belongs the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.