This is a translation of a scriptural meditation from the Russian book, “Day by Day”. Lewis’s thoughts on the topic
follow:
Scripture: “For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Matt: 6, 13)
Meditation:
"Although His Kingdom has not yet been manifest, it undoubtedly exists. Let us fix our gaze on our Heavenly King, patiently waiting for total victory over all His foes. Satan has been conquered by Christ and “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom: 16, 20).
"Christ, the Head of the Church, has been victorious, and has thus given power and victory to the members of His Body. Although much time may pass until His power and glory is manifest in His Body, i.e. in us, who are redeemed by His Blood, we nevertheless must not lose hope, but should repeat every day: “Yours is the Kingdom!”
"With every new manifestation of His Kingdom the realization of the fullness of eternal life penetrates deeper into our soul; we are born for eternity, and time cannot last too long for us. Renewed souls in their striving for eternity enter more and more into new mysteries revealed to them. They are not afraid of Satan’s threats; even when the ground shakes underneath them, turning their gaze to heaven, they fearlessly continue to exclaim: “Yours is the Kingdom!”
"No matter how great their losses, or how debilitating their weakness, even when it seems that there is no salvation for them, they go from victory to victory, exclaiming: “Yours is the Kingdom!” When it is the most difficult for them, when the enemy besieges them with renewed force, they enter even more deeply into life “hidden with Christ in God” (Col: 3, 3) and overcome everything “through Him Who loved us” (Rom: 8, 37).
"Let us note the marvelous consistency of these words and let each of us apply them to ourselves, to our hearts and lives. Can I say to God in my heart, by nature rebellious and willful: “Yours is the Kingdom!”?
"Has your heart submitted completely to Him? Is He the Lord and Steward of everything there? If this is so, then His power will also be manifest there. Where He reigns, He also acts with power. And where His power is, there His glory is as well. A person cannot boast about himself – he knows that it is only the power of God that creates in him that which is pleasing to God, and that all glory and all praise is given to the only One worthy of all worship, – our almighty and all-loving Lord.
“Let us say Amen to this; and let our heart be a dwelling place for His Kingdom and power, and let it bring Him glory, honor and worship.”
The scriptural passage above is the last half of Matthew 6,13. I was surprised that it is omitted from many modern English translations. It is contained in the King James bible. Lewis says a little bit about these words in the conclusion to his thoughts about The Our Father (“Letters to Malcolm”, V):
"I don’t often use the kingdom, the power, and the glory. When I do, I have an idea of the kingdom as sovereignty de jure; God, as good, would have a claim on my obedience even if He had no power. The power is the sovereignty de facto – He is omnipotent. And the glory is – well, the glory; the ‘beauty so old and new,’ the ‘light from behind the sun’ ".
By the way, does anyone know where the last two quotes are from (“the beauty so old and new” and the “light from behind the sun”?
Dimitry
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)