Introduction
This petition brings us towards the end of the Lord’s prayer. Most scholars agree that the kingdom the power and the glory are a ps which may or may not reflect the words of Jesus. Be this as it may this is the third of a triad of petitions which encompass our entire needs as human beings: physical (daily bread), spiritual (forgiveness) and moral (resisting evil). Some have seen in these echoes of the Trinity: God the Father creator of the universe providing our daily bread, God the Son through His death and resurrection providing atonement for our sins and God the Holy Spirit fortifying us in the battle against evil.
Looking at the petition in more detail we again have two parts – lead us not into temptation – deliver us from evil. Some of the difficulties with this can be observed when we look at various translations: “Bring us not to the time of trial” “deliver us from the evil one”, “Don’t let us yield to temptation”, and so on.
The big problem with this phrase is the thought that God might deliberately lead us into temptation, which is perverse. God’s plans and purposes for us are that we should be holy as he is holy. However the pathway to holiness does not involve immunity from trials and temptations – in fact it is often through exposure to such things that we grow in faith. As James says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2
From it’s earliest beginnings the church has endured various trials and persecutions yet from them has grown the world-wide church which we see now. Tertullian wisely perceived: ” The blood of the martys is the seed of the church”.
So if trials and temptations are seen in this way as a good thing, why should we ask God not to take us down that route. Firstly whilst such things may be good for us, we should not actively court them – like those fanatic pilgrims you see flagellating themselves. I must confess that there were times when I was a student and aware of the growing persecuted church in other parts of the world, that I prayed for such persecution to spread to the West to shake us out of our complacency and bring about growth.
Secondly over many years I have observed that whilst trials and temptations can be a stimulus for growth in faith they can also have the opposite effect. When faced with the diagnosis of terminal cancer one person may respond with great faith, perseverance and endurance while another may seem to abandon faith in a welter of anger and bitterness. None of us knows how we will respond so it is wiser indeed to pray “Lead us not into temptation” Do not allow us to be tested beyond breaking point. Let us take to heart the words of Paul: “God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” 1.Cor.10:13
But deliver us from evil
It is probably better to stick with evil in general rather than the personification of evil – the evil one. Again there is a danger here for those who deliberately seek out evil and seek to expel demons from all and sundry. However I believe that most of us are far too blasé about the presence of evil and see no need of deliverance. If today’s world is one in which the concept of sin is hard to get across then the need for deliverance from evil is also going to be a hard sell! Most people consider themselves to be essentially good and only define as evil the most horrendous acts and people. The context of these petitions is our growth in holiness which we saw as being the essence of God’s will for which we prayed at the beginning of the prayer.
Once more this prayer proves to be very challenging. How serious are we about engaging in the battle between good and evil? How faith-full are we? How will we stand up when faced with trials and temptations? Only time will tell meanwhile let us pray more urgently “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”.