Deliver Us from Evil

Scripture
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
— Matthew 6:9b-13 (ESV)

Jesus knew what we are up against. That is why He taught us to close this prayer the way He did. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The word translated as temptation here can also mean test or trial. So this is not just about resisting sinful urges, though it certainly includes that. It is about any situation that strains our faith, challenges our trust, or quietly invites us to walk away from what we know to be true. Jesus is not teaching us to pray this way because we are cowards. He is teaching us to pray this way because He knows our weakness, and He wants us to know it too.

What is interesting is that Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested. And in that testing, the enemy showed up, twisting God’s Word and trying to derail the mission before it really began. God will never tempt us, but He may allow us to walk through seasons that reveal and refine what is inside of us. Even so, Jesus tells us to ask our Father to spare us from that kind of testing when possible. There is no shame in that prayer. It is actually one of the most honest things we can say: “Father, I know what I am made of, and I need your help.”

We live in days where there are forces at work, seen and unseen, that want to distract, divide, and destroy. Jesus does not tell us to tough it out on our own. He tells us to ask for deliverance, to call on our Father to rescue us from the pull of evil and keep us grounded in His truth. Corrie ten Boom, who knew something about darkness, once said, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”¹ That is the kind of Deliverer we are praying to. One who does not watch from a distance but steps into the pit with us.

So we do not pray this final line from a place of fear. We pray it from a place of confidence. The One who overcame every temptation and defeated evil once and for all is the same One who hears this prayer. He is able to deliver. He is present in the trial. And His grace is more than enough to pull us back when we begin to fall. We can ask boldly, because we know who is listening.

Reflection
1. What temptations or trials are you currently walking through?

2. How aware are you of the spiritual battle going on around you, and what does it look like to take that seriously?

3. What would it look like to rely more fully on God’s strength in the midst of your weakness?

Prayer
Ask the Father to protect you from temptation and deliver you from the evil that seeks to derail your trust in Him. Thank Him for His strength, His presence, and His love that reaches you even in the lowest places.

Footnote:
¹ Ten Boom, Corrie. The Hiding Place. Chosen Books, 1971.