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lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil –
it is difficult to imagine praying this prayer on my way to a strip club.
or while meeting with friends, plotting revenge against someone who has wronged them.
or while heading to the bars with the intention of drinking to excess.
this line of christ’s exemplary prayer, like others, seems to have more to do with our own choices and behavior than it does with supernatural intervention at the hands of the Divine. this prayer is not bent toward manipulating God to do our will, but rather a posture of prayer which encourages us aligning our will with God’s.
prayers that God’s hand delivers me from evil or that the spirit saves me from stumbling into sinful desires seem frivolous if i’m not aware of my heart’s posture and my mind’s intent.
more than that – the use of the plural ‘us’ connotes a desire for my entire community to engage with integrity.
one cannot in good conscience pray this prayer on behalf of their community while simultaneously serving as a negative influence on its members.
this prayer ought to heighten our awareness to the ways in which the spirit is moving in, through and around us – and helping one another find and follow christ.
but sometimes it’s more tempting to blame God for my poor decisions than to take responsibility for them.
what do you think?
