Lead Us Not Into Temptation
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." (Matthew 6:13) Growing up, I was taught to recite the Lord's prayer in Sunday school, and I committed it to memory at an early age. It wasn't until years later, however, that the words began to sink in, and then only little by little as the Lord opened my understanding to what I had learned. Most recently, though, I was brought up short by the words quoted above. I have always considered that temptation was an inevitable part of life, and that there was nothing that I could do to avoid it, but these words promise something altogether different than I had ever considered. They indicate that the Lord is willing to lead me in such a way that I will not walk into temptation blindly, and that He is able to deliver me from the evil that would seek to divert me from following Him. When Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray before His betrayal and ultimate crucifixion, his disciples were unable to s