Lead Us and Deliver Us
Do you ask God to lead you and deliver you?
Verse of the Day
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Today’s Devotional
I am learning so many things as I study the teachings of Jesus. One of the main things that is repeated by all of the scholars is that prayer, simply, must be learned. It takes years of practice to become an effective communicator with humans. How much more true must that be for learning to communicate with and listen to the Almighty? I am depending on the words of God from Psalm 32:8 : ‘The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”’
As we continue to dive into the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus is teaching us how to pray, we are led to the petition for God to lead us not into temptation, and instead to deliver us from evil. There is a presumption here that we are allowing God to lead us and that we are following. Are we?
Today I give you Richard Foster’s words about this petition from the Lord’s Prayer.
“This petition is perhaps the most important of them all. It contains both a negative (lead us not into temptation) and a positive (but deliver us from evil).
The first part of the petition has disturbed many. How can God tempt us or lead us into temptation? The Greek word itself means “trials” or “trying circumstances” and the only time God tries us is when there is something in our hearts that needs revealing. For example, Judas was a man who had difficulty with money, which was precisely why Jesus made him treasurer of the apostolic band. In time, what was in the heart of Judas came to light.
Therefore the prayer “lead us not into temptation” means this: “Lord, may there be nothing in me that will force you to put me to the test in order to reveal what is in my heart.” We want to be progressing in the realms of transformation with no hidden sins so that God will not be forced to put us to the test. In the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking God to remove seeds of destruction – like power and influence and the opportunity to help others without reference to God – from our hearts so that he will never have to put us to the test.
Now with regard to the petition “deliver us from evil”: as much as we might like it otherwise, the original text is quite clear that Jesus is urging us to pray for rescue not from evil in a generic sense but from the evil one, namely, Satan. I know that does not sit well in our modern and postmodern understanding of reality, but it is there nevertheless.”
We know that God doesn’t tempt us, because in James 1:13 we are told, “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” But we also know that we ARE faced with temptations. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we are told, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Perhaps part of our petition to God needs to be that we will be wise enough to see the way out that God always provides and to have God’s strength to take that way out.
Clearly we are being taught that there is power in prayer, both to reveal the parts of us that need God’s healing and restoration, and to allow us to stand firm in our faith and obedience no matter what comes our way. My prayer is that I will develop the daily habit of asking God to lead me and deliver me because Jesus is telling me to do so.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Have you ever faced a temptation and you did not take the way out that God provided? How did that turn out?
How have trials or trying circumstances revealed things in you that you needed God to heal and restore?
How can you remain willing for God to point out the parts of you that need more of His love and power without being put to the test?
How are you following God wherever he is leading you?
How has He delivered you in the past?
Where do you need His deliverance today?
Comments
I have read and heard that there may be a comma after “Lead us”. Reading “Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.:” It made sense to me.