Deliver Us
Our Father - Part 5
Sunday, April 3, 2022
1 Corinthians 10:12-13; James 1:13-15; Matthew 6:13
And don’t lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:13 (CEB)
Listen to this week’s sermon here:
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If there is any line in the Our Father that demonstrates how easily we gloss over the meaning of what we pray each week, it is this final line Jesus taught us: “Lord, lead us not into temptation…”
It doesn’t take much thought for this statement to give us pause. Why would God lead us into temptation to begin with? If God really did lead us to temptation, why would we pray against it?
Things get even more complicated when we read James 1:13-14 —
No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it.
So if God is not the source of our temptation, why would Jesus teach us to pray this way?
Perhaps it would be helpful simply to add a comma, or a pause. For example, “Lead us, - not into temptation, - but deliver us from evil.”
In this way, we are asking God to lead us - period. What’s more, we acknowledge that God is leading us in a very different way than we so often lead ourselves. We are good at putting ourselves in situations where we are tempted to sin. Asking God to lead us in a different direction, not into temptation but away from evil, is an act of surrender and humility.
Perhaps we might take a lesson from Peter. Instead of declaring in pride that we will not sin, we will not deny Christ, and we will not falter in our faith, we might take Jesus’ lead and acknowledge that we are not strong enough on our own. Given to our own devices, we will indeed deny Christ. As Jesus himself reminds us, our spirits are willing but our flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
God never promises that we will not be tempted, but rather when we are tempted, God will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). The key to this final line of the prayer, and indeed the entire prayer Jesus taught us, is humility and complete reliance on God.
We pray these things because we cannot do them on our own. We pray for deliverance from evil precisely because evil is so prevalent in our world and it will always find us, if we don’t find it first. We must be vigilant and alert. We must stay awake to recognize temptation for what it is. We must watch and pray as Jesus prayed… Lord, not our will, but yours be done. Amen.
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An Invitation to a Lenten Breath Prayer Practice -
As we sit with the “Our Father” Prayer Jesus taught us, I invite you to take one line each week and use it as a breath prayer throughout your day. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by difficulty or by gratitude, by pain or by joy, take a moment to breath a line of this sacred prayer. You may want to set a silent alarm on your watch or phone to remind you to pause and pray at least 3 times each day. Regardless of when you do it, be sure to let the prayer truly fill the depths of your soul. Repeat it, sit with it, meditate on it, until it becomes part of you. Allow the Spirit to transform your heart and mind as you pray.
Week 5: Breath Prayer Exercise
Breathe in: “Lead us not to temptation…”
Breathe out: “…but deliver us from evil.”
Amen.