When we become parents, our little bundle of joy completely exhausts us, and also fills us with hope. We rock our baby to sleep, dreaming of who he will be and what he could do. It plays out in our heads with us as parents as main characters. We watch ourselves lead him to be a great musician, a great teacher, a great athlete, a great leader. We develop a way to get there, a path, a clear vision of the best way.
Like the seagulls in Finding Nemo, we begin to sound like them, saying “Mine. Mine. Mine.” over all things pertaining to our children. My rules, plans, and way. My effort and protection. And when our “mines” become threatened or unfulfilled, we easily fall into despair or anger.
The final line of the Lord’s Prayer calls us away from our tendency to declare “mine” and brings us to a most powerful word: “thine.”
Parents find rest when we recognize that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God. We can take neither kingdom, nor power, nor glory into our control, nor use it for our own intent. Yet because we are in Christ and given the Holy Spirit, we still have a role—to pursue the kingdom, to live out of God’s power, and to point to the glory that is God’s alone.
Thine is the Kingdom
Scripture defines “the kingdom” as the sovereign rule of God. In the present day, Christ reigns in the hearts and lives of believers and his body, the Church (Paraphrase from ESV Glossary). When we pray “thine is the kingdom,” we acknowledge that God is in charge. He alone is the king of our lives and our children’s lives, and he alone can establish his rule in our hearts.
God accomplishes this through Jesus’ atoning death. The life, death, and resurrection of God’s own Son, Jesus, displays his sovereignty and love for his people. We, and our children, can become a part of the kingdom again, not because of any great parenting or great deed we do, but because of who God is and what Jesus has done.
The kingdom also speaks to what is to come when Jesus returns again. We have the promise that when he establishes his kingdom forever, he will make all things new. Work will not frustrate, relationships will not complicate, fear and shame will cease.
Under no other kingdom and under no other ruler would that be possible. Only God can heal and restore our broken world fully.
We can experience this hope now as God works in our hearts, sanctifying us and our children. Even in our parenting failures, God is still at work. Even when our children mess up, God is still at work. The kingdom is on the move within the hearts of those who believe in Jesus as their Savior.
The one through whom all things are established is establishing his kingdom in our households, one heart and life at a time. “Thine is the kingdom” means that on our best days and on our worst days, God still reigns—and will reign forevermore.
Thine is the Power
Power and strength are often tied together. Perhaps it’s the strength to get through summer, balancing the demands of work and needs of children. Maybe it’s the strength to keep calm when your three-year-old is anything but calm. In the days of young children—and even now with teenagers—some days, I just need the strength to get to bedtime. Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.”
When we feel most weak as parents—whether it is physical or emotional fatigue and even powerlessness, we can draw on God’s power. The ultimate display of God’s power is on the cross for our salvation. Because of God’s power and victory over sin, we then are united with Christ (Rom. 6:5). We are “in” Christ because of the gospel.
Our access to this power is all based upon our being “in Christ.” Ephesians 6 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (v. 10). Timothy writes, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1) Through Jesus, we are strengthened as parents because of the gospel. The gospel reminds us that Jesus has already done the work on our behalf. It reminds us that, though we are weak, he is strong.
“Thine is the power” means that the power is not in us, it is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And to find power and strength in the gospel requires that we rest in the gospel. When we rest in the gospel, it reminds us that the finished work of Christ is more than sufficient—for us and our children.
Thine is the Glory
The Old Testament closely describes glory with the personhood of God. Glory is also described as “one who shows the excellence of.” When my child hits the winning home run or wins the character award at the school honors day, it seemingly reflects back on me as a parent. Our natural tendency is to take the glory for ourselves.
In my children’s failures, I similarly take on the ownership of the mishap—even if it feels like the opposite of glory. Our children can tend to be like signposts that point back to the parent with either “good” or “bad” emblazoned across the front.
Yet, because God alone is sovereign and God alone is powerful, we should not receive the accolades of good parenting or the shame of bad parenting. We certainly have a role, but ultimately God is God and I am not. Thus any talent or gift that our child can hone and practice and perhaps be really good at is all from the Lord. We can use our gifts, and teach our children to use their gifts, to reflect God’s character.
When we ascribe to God the glory, we are essentially saying, “Don’t look at me. Look at him.” Whatever we may do or accomplish on this side of heaven is nothing compared to who God is and what he has done on the cross and in our hearts.
“Thine is the glory” means that we point the praise and adoration back to God as we seek to reflect his character. We can do even the ordinary, mundane tasks for God’s glory. I can unload the dishwasher, thanking God that I have dishes to wash and a dishwasher to use. I can fold laundry, giving thanks for the bodies that will wear the clothes. My heart position in the ordinary can reflect God’s character and work in my life—which is only accomplished through his Holy Spirit.
When we remind ourselves that all we have and do is from, through, and for God, we turn the attention off of ourselves and our children and back to God.
Thine, Not Mine
Perhaps the most important word of the whole final phrase of the Lord’s Prayer is “thine.” Thine simply yet powerfully, draws my eyes away from all of the “mines” I take for myself. I find rest in gazing upon the person of God, the grace of Jesus, and the power and companionship of the Holy Spirit. When I say “thine,” the heavy responsibilities of parenting do not solely fall upon me. My heavenly Father, who, in his gracious plan, saw fit to include me in his kingdom, to equip me through his power, and to use me to point to his glory, is with me every step of the way. It is not mine, it is thine.
Interested in learning more about The Lord’s Prayer? Check out our friend Youth Pastor Theologian’s curriculum on it!
