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I have looked back to times of trial with a kind of longing, not to have them return, but to feel the strength of God as I have felt it then.
—Charles Spurgeon
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I love hearing stories about how The Lord’s Prayer is becoming more real as we engage it as a framework to explore rather than a formula to follow.
For this week’s prayer guide, I want to take a fresh look at the familiar line lead us not into temptation. The Greek word peirasmos (translated “temptation”) can also be translated “trial,” “test,” or “testing.”
Every day we face some form of temptation or trial. And Scripture tells us that these times of testing are for our good, that, in this age, they are necessary (e.g., Acts 14:22). So why then do we pray lead us not into temptation?
For the answer, I’m going to cheat and pull a paragraph from my book Words with God, ;)When we pray that God would “lead us not into temptation,” we are, in a sense, declaring by faith that the temptation or trial is not the end. The Greek word eis, translated “into,” involves the leading of one to a place, so when we pray lead us not into, we are, by faith, acknowledging that the temptation or trial is precisely where we won’t be left or left alone.
Response
Did you catch the promise couched in the prayer? While trials and temptation are inevitable, so is our victory. Whether it be now or then, every problem has an end date. Every pain will be swallowed up in joy. Every broken part of us will be healed and restored.
You have probably moved through many trials and temptation and can now see them for what they were. But it’s easy for us to forget and get lost in the pain of this present moment. Take heart, my friend, by remembering your triumphs. And then pray, “This trial is not where my story ends. There is life beyond evil’s grasp. Deliver me, Father.”
Closing Thoughts
Paul, in one of his letters to the Corinthian church, promises us that “no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
Notice that the escape is not the absence of the temptation but rather our ability to endure or transcend temptation. In this sense, temptations and trials become pathways of godly formation, perfecting our character, growing our capacity, and delivering us from whatever form evil may take.
Praying with you,
Addison
P.S. If don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to get it through Amazon or the Messenger Store. If you’re new to these prayer guides, then welcome. I’m glad you’re here and grateful you’ve joined us on this journey of rediscovering prayer as a way of life.
