On The Lord's Prayer - St. Nikolai Velimirovic (11)

АND THE POWER

Thine is the power, because Thine is the Kingdom. Quasi-kings are powerless. Their only kingly power is in their royal title, which in truth is Thy title only. They wander in the dust, and the dust goes where the wind wants it to go. We are the wandering shadows and moving dust. But even when we wander and move it is by Thy power.

By Thy power we are and by Thy power we are going to be. Earth would be a corpse without Thy power. Thou art the breathing power in every grain of dust, and if the dust dances it dances by Thy power, or if the dancing dust is called man it is by Thy power.

Thou has lent a small grain of Thy power of man. If a man does good he does it by Thy power through Thee; and if a man does evil he does it by Thy power but through himself. Everything which is done, is done by Thy power, either used or misused, either understood or misunderstood. If a man, O Father, uses Thy power according to Thy Will, then Thy power is Thine, and it is good; if a man comes, however, and uses Thy power according to his own will, then Thy power is called his own, and it is evil.

I say, O Lord, when Thou disposest with Thy power it is good, but when the beggers, who borrowed the power from Thee, proudly dispose with it as with their own, it is evil. So there is one keeper, but many disposers of Thy power; and also there is no evil power in the world, but there are evil disposers and practicers of Thy power. Yea, of the particles of Thy power Thou mercifully lendest to them, from Thy plentiful table, to those poor mortals on earth.

Look down upon us, O powerful Father, look down upon us and be slow in sending Thy power to the earthly dust until it prepares two rooms to take it in: good will and humility – good will to us the borrowed divine gift for good, and humility to be steadily remindid that all the power in the universe belongs to Thee, great Power-giver!

Thy power is holy and wise. But when in our hands Thy power is in danger of being defiled and becoming unholy and foolish.

O Father, which art in Heaven, help us to know and to do every day one thing; that is, to know that all power is Thine, and to us Thy power according to Thy will. Behold, we are unhappy because we separated what is inseparable in Thee; we separated power from holiness, and also power from love, and power from faith, and, finally – which is the first cause of our fall – power from humility. Unite, O Father, what Thy children have foolishly separated, we pray.

Bring again to honor Thine own power which has been disregarded and dishonored, we pray. For behold, whatever we are, we are Thy children.