Deliver Us From Evil

“Pray then like this:
‘Our Father in heaven, 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.'"

Matthew 6:9-13

Whenever we finish a study, we’re wise to take a moment to review and ask a few questions. What has the Lord taught us? By His grace, how do we want to change? After two months of walking through the Lord’s Prayer, is our communion with God in prayer growing? Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932) once wrote, “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” How often are we tempted to prayerless study, prayerless work, and prayerless religion? How often do we seek to live the Christian life without Christ?

To commune with God in prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have as His children. Whenever we neglect this great gift, the Lord’s Prayer provides a pathway for us to return and enjoy this fellowship. Let’s walk through this prayer of prayers one more time.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Jesus calls us to relate to God as the beloved children of His perfect heavenly Father. Are we experiencing the wonder of knowing and praying to God as “Father”? Do we long for Him to cause His name to be hallowed in our lives and in His world?

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  In prayer we acknowledge there is a true King—and we are not He—and a perfect will—and it is not ours. Do we long for the Lord’s kingdom to come, for His will to be done, for earth to be more like heaven and less like hell? What “kingdom” prayers are we praying in this season?

Give us this day our daily bread. In prayer we declare our dependence on the Lord for everything, even daily bread. Do we take for granted the countless examples of God’s provision? Do we bring our simple requests and express genuine gratitude?

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. In prayer we confess that we are sinners who need the grace that Jesus freely offers. Does the good news of Jesus Christ become personal for us in prayer? In the Lord’s forgiveness are we finding the resources to forgive others?

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. If we are united with Jesus, He has delivered us, He is delivering us, and He will ultimately deliver us. In light of His mighty deliverance, do we long to live by His grace and for His glory?

These are only a few reflections on the inexhaustible riches of this prayer. The Lord has given us another day to pray His word back to Him, or to use it is as a model as His Spirit leads us in prayer. May our hearts cry with the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).