A lot of truths and wisdom are explicit and implicit in the Lord’s prayer. The preeminence of God’s glory and sovereignty, the existence of a hereafter called “heaven” that is qualitatively different than earth, the imperative to live in the moment, the imperative to forgive others, and so on. There is another fascinating takeaway to be gleaned from the last line of the Lord’s prayer, but deliver us from evil.
Our Father in heaven,
Matthew 6:9-13
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Why We Need Deliverance From Evil
The truth is that no one has achieved immunity from the effects and dangers of sin. Tragedies, temptations, and losses within the realm of possibility are strong enough to ruin even people with the strongest faith and character. We all have a breaking point. And we all carry some seed of sin within us that often needs little prompting by circumstances to rear its ugly head.
There is the evil within us, and there is the evil done to us by outside powers and forces. We as people are such, and the world is such, that we need divine aid to manage both threats.
Prayer, for its part, is designed to achieve protection from evil in all its forms because we as people are never totally in control of everything.
Today, if we are struggling in an area, like lust or anger, let’s do all that we can naturally do to achieve victory. Let’s rely on God to guide us in that process and to insure what is outside our control.
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