As always, we'll begin with prayer.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
1. We ask God not to lead us into temptation. This seems a little strange, doesn't it? How could God lead us into temptation? He doesn't tempt us. The world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us, not God. God does, however, allow us to be tempted sometimes in order to test us and to strengthen our faith, which grows only through use.
2. The word for “temptation” in the Greek is peirasmos, which can also mean trial, testing, and proving. With this prayer, we are asking, then, that God does not give us more than we can handle when He allows us to be tested and tried. We are asking Him to prevent us from falling in our weakness.
3. As we ask God not to lead us into temptation, we may also request that He give us the grace and strength to persevere through whatever trials He sends our way.
4. We end the prayer by asking God to deliver us from evil. The Greek word for “deliver” is rhuomai. Along with deliver, it means rescue.
5. We certainly need to be constantly rescued from evil. It surround us on all sides as we make our way through the world. We are threatened spiritually by those who attack our faith. Physically, our bodies face disease and weakness. The enemy is constantly on the prowl, digging into our weak spots, trying to lead us into sin.
6. What is evil really? It's a deprivation, a gap, an absence of truth, beauty, and goodness. God did not create evil. Everything He created was good. Our first parents chose to use their free will to disobey God, and with that first sin, they introduced gaps into the goodness God created. Those gaps are the evils we experience.
7. When we pray this prayer, we are asking God to pull us out of the gaps and to fill up the gaps with His love.
8. We end the prayer with an “Amen,” which is a Hebrew word of firm assent. It is equivalent to saying, “Yes, God!” or “It is true!” We should pronounce it with conviction.
Let's end by praying the Our Father together one more time.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment