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Lord’s Prayer, Part 5
The last part of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray is as follows (Mt 6:13):
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.These two phrases are asking that we not be put through trials. Which, at first glance, seems kind of selfish doesn’t it? But it is simply a stance of humility.
Of course God doesn’t tempt people. It’s our own selfish desires and the interference of the enemy that tempt us and take us far from God’s grace. What we are praying for here is that we be kept as far from temptation as possible. This is because we recognize that we are weak and not very confident in our ability to resist temptation. We’re all recovering sinners, so much like a recovering alcoholic isn’t wise to wander into bars to “test” her resolve, it’s best for us to stay as far away as possible from the things that draw us into sin. We are voting “no confidence” in our ability to resist temptation, and asking God to keep us away from it.
These petitions remind us that we can’t stand up under very much pressure, that we’re voting “no confidence” in our ability to resist temptation, and that it isn’t a good thing for us to suffer. We also pray for deliverance from the evil one, or “Spare us from bad things that might happen to us”. This is a simple acknowledgement that it isn’t a good thing for us to suffer, and a prayer that we would be help safe from every bad thing that could happen. The trials and sufferings we go through always challenge our faith, and as such they are dangerous! Watch how quickly people start attacking God when they’re going through a rough time. We do well to humbly ask for deliverance from evil.We get into a lot of trouble when we have confidence in the strength of our own faith (what some might call “faith in faith”). Remember Jesus’ disciples James and John, the “sons of thunder”, the ambitious brothers? They are seeking to advance their own position in the kingdom Jesus is about to set up, so they engage in a little behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, asking if they could be second and third in charge. Jesus asks them, “Can you go through what I’m going to go through?” They answer very confidently: “Yes sir! We can do it! We will ride with you!” Of course they had no idea what they were talking about, and we have to avoid such a cavalier attitude about such things. This prayer helps us.
So fine: it’s good to pray for deliverance from trials. But what about when bad things do happen to us? When we go through trials and are tempted? What are we to make of those situations?
First of all, if we learn to live in this prayer, we will probably begin to recognize how often God does prevent bad things from happening to us, how often he spares us. We’ll start to see how often good things happen to us, and how little we deserve those good things. But when bad things do happen, we can rest assured that evil never has the last say. Every trial or evil that comes our way has a special function in God’s plans. Just like with daily food for daily needs, God also provides daily for the trials and and evil we experience. We may not obtain the answers we want, but we can rest assured that God is good and is working righteousness in us through our weakness, combined with faith.
That was Paul’s astonishing secret: “So, living for Christ, I am delighted when I experience weaknesses, insults, desperate needs, persecutions and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am powerful” (2 Cor 12:9-10). This kind of experience-based trust is what lies behind many of the Psalms, such as 23, 34, 37, and 91. God does not promise that we will have no trials, but he does promise totally unbroken care, along with adequacy to do whatever is needed. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Cor 10:13.
We must understand that usually God does protect us from trials, but when he allows them, it’s because he has something better in mind for us than freedom from trials.
Prayer Exercise
Find a time and place where you can spend 20-30 minutes in prayer.Slowly pray through each phrase of the Lord’s prayer, applying specific points of application in your life after each phrase, according to your understanding of the petition.
After praying “deliver us from the evil one” read through Psalm 91. Spend some time journaling on some of the following questions.
- Does this passage seem unrealistic or overly optimistic?
- Does Psalm 91 seem to reflect your experience? If not, why not?
- What would your life look like if you walked in this kind of confidence all the time?
- Ask God to give you the first step you can take toward living the kind of life outlined in Psalm 91.