Lord, Teach us to Pray

Once, Jesus disciples approached Him and asked that He teach them to pray. Jesus responded by teaching them the Lord's Prayer. There is much to learn in and about the Lord's Prayer. That's what we are continuing to do, looking at and learning from the Lord's Prayer.

"But deliver us from evil"
Once, Jesus disciples approached Him and asked that He teach them to pray. Jesus responded by teaching them the Lord's Prayer. There is much to learn in and about the Lord's Prayer. That's what we are continuing to do, looking at and learning from the Lord's Prayer.

Evil is no stranger to me. Every day I have to contend with the evil "that threatens body and soul, property and reputation," as Luther has summarized. Dangers, diseases, and death can threaten my body. The rust of inflation or unemployment, the risk of fire or theft, the ravages of flood or drought can take their toll on my property. Gossip and slander can tear my reputation to shreds. And what about the greatest evil of all, the one that takes aim at my soul? Neglecting my spiritual needs, trusting in my own good works, chasing after the baubles of this world can turn into something far worse than anemia for my soul.

Such evil does not come from God; it's not his creation. Evil is sin's child. The devil brought sin, and sin brought evil-all those untold evils of body and soul, property and reputation. Human failures, attitudes, and actions all contribute to the evil of the world, because they all flow out of our sinful human nature. I need to hear the apostle assure me, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). The devil likes nothing better than to convince me that the troubles of life are God's punishment for my sins. I need Paul's reminder that God has already punished all my sins in Christ. My God is no crook who has punished Christ and now seeks to collect a second time from me. Standing in the shadow of the Savior's cross, I understand that the evils in this world are not punishment for me but the fallout, the ashes that still cling to my life.

Do I catch the assurance Jesus offers me in this petition? I have a Father who has already delivered me from my sin. By the death and resurrection of Jesus he has paid my penalty, put the devil out of commission, propped heaven's door wide open. Can't I now trust him to deliver me from the lesser evils in life? Won't he more than adequately handle those problems that deal with my body and soul, property and reputation?

Do I also catch the anticipation the Lord has built into this petition? Can I even faintly imagine what the final deliverance in heaven will be like? Where there'll be no more pain or sorrow or any such thing? Where God will wipe away all tears from my eyes? Where I'll no longer need to pray, "Deliver us from evil," because it will all be gone? How fitting that my Savior should direct my heart heavenward in eager anticipation with this last petition in his prayer!

But while I'm still here on earth, I need to ask my Father daily, "Deliver us from evil."