THE LORD’S PRAYER
PART 5
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. James 1:13,14
In the Sixth Petition we pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Why would we ask God not to lead us into temptation? Isn’t God a loving God? What kind of loving God would lead his children to be tempted?
This petition of the Lord’s Prayer can often be misunderstood. Perhaps it can be explained with a picture story. A father was taking his daughters on a trip that took them through a huge forest. Since it was getting dark, he decided to turn on the car’s headlights. But they were dim and barely lit anything. The car’s battery soon died. What would they do now? The girls were frightened of the dark and scary place. But Dad knew exactly where the road would lead. All he asked of his daughters was that they would stay close to him as they walked. “Don’t worry, Daddy,” one of the girls said as he took her hand. “We’ll stick to you like superglue!”
There are times in our lives that are much like that trip. Sometimes life can take us into the darkest forests. Losing one’s job, incurable sickness, severe loneliness, and failure are just a few of those forests we pass through. Each of us is led through a different forest where we will be left with a broken-down car. On our own we would be lost and hopeless. But our Father can lead us because he knows the way out. That’s why we pray that God would “lead us” and “deliver us.” Then we need only know that God has us by the hand.
Consider the misfortunes Joseph went through, the trials Daniel endured, or the torture Paul experienced. God tells us there will be trials in our lives, but with each trial he promises to walk with us. His plan is to deliver us from the evil that lurks around us. He knows the way out because he’s been there.
David said it well when he wrote in his beautiful 23rd Psalm, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (verse 4).
Notice that the 23rd Psalm does not say “I walk into the darkest valley”, but rather “I walk through the darkest valley.”
From The Gift of Prayer