“Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
In our current series called, “Walking with Jesus”, in which we look at what it means to follow Jesus and how we can behold him better and become more like him, the notion of walking calls back to the metaphor of describing our relationship with God as a journey. As pilgrims on a journey of knowing God and growing in His likeness, we must also remember that our paths are not always idyllic strolls. In fact, hardships and trials are found along the path and it is in these trials that we are both humbled and exposed to a far more profound experience of God’s goodness and grace. In light of this, we ask ourselves: What does it mean for us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”?
We ask God to lead us
To pray this then, is to ask Our Heavenly Father to be our guide and companion in our journeys. In other words, we adopt a posture of humble dependence on His guidance and goodness in the midst of hardship and trials. The word “temptation” can also be translated as “trial” or “testing”. Therefore as we pray this, we acknowledge both the reality of suffering and the reality of suffering being a test of our faith. Moreover, in praying this, we ask God to provide us with His grace, His courage, and His power to endure and overcome the hardship before us.
We ask God to defend us from temptations and trials
We must remember that it is our fallen nature which is susceptible to temptation – God does not tempt us since He Himself is incorruptible:
“13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Thus, as we pray this, we are asking God to make His will and path clear in the midst of our temptations and trials. God always graciously provides “a way out”. To see His path requires us to not rely on our own capacity to resist, but the faith to trust in a better way which leads to freedom. God does not forsake us nor does He leave us to our own devices. In fact, He is present with us in the midst of temptation and suffering through His Holy Spirit. As we choose to turn to Him, we are able to experience His presence and power. In so doing, His Kingdom is advanced in and through our lives.
We change our focus
When we pray “deliver us from evil”, or “deliver us from the evil one”, we change our focus from a defensive prayer to an offensive prayer against the ploys and forces of the evil one. As we pray this, we appropriate and participate in Jesus’ victory in every spiritual and practical area of this life. Herewith, we also shift our focus from us as individuals to society around us. It moves us to be mindful of the numerous injustices and evils in our world.
Points to Pray:
Ask God to recognise His guidance and presence with us.
Ask God to receive Jesus’ resurrection power to resist temptation and to endure in the midst of trials.
Pray for others who are suffering – ask God to deliver them and to strengthen them in the midst of trials.
Pray for restraint of evil forces in our community and the world.
Thank God that His goodness will one day prevail.