And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)
It may be easy for us to place ‘living the Christian life’ in the same category as ‘getting better at my job’ - something I need to apply effort to to get a result. It is true that effort is required - the effort of regular prayer, for example. But it is also true that we can’t just ‘put the work in’ and be successful in ‘living the Christian life’. We are seeking spiritual transformation. We can get in our own way in that process and there are spiritual forces that oppose that transformation in us. And so we need help.
Jesus tells us here to pray, daily (“give us our daily bread”), for help. He tells us to pray to be protected from temptation and to be delivered from evil. Both of these prayers come from a place of need and dependence. The prayer for protection is a prayer to be spared the circumstances that might tempt us to sin. The prayer for deliverance is a recognition that we need spiritual help for the spiritual opposition we may face daily.
Action: Pray
“Father in heaven, I need your power to avoid and resist temptation - and I need your power against evil in my life. Give me the humility to seek your help and the peace that comes with it.”