Enter the Presence: In our adventure through the
Lord’s Prayer, we are entering the last few laps. We’ve celebrated God’s glory
as Holy and as Father. We’ve asked that God’s Kingdom be built and looked at
our responsibility in building that kingdom. God gives us our daily sustenance,
and asks us to join in him in forgiving one another, just as we are forgiven
every moment of every day. Which of the exercises have you tried? Were they
helpful?
Today we
pray “lead us not into temptation”. We face the fact that we are tempted to do
the wrong thing every day. With Paul every one of us can say, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do
not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Paul continues, “Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that
the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells
within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.
I can will what is right, but I cannot
do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I
do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin
that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is
good, evil lies close at hand. For I
delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law
at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that
dwells in my members.” I’m sure each of us at some time has been driven to
sob, “Wretched man that I am! Who will
rescue me from this body of death?” We want to do the right thing, but it
seems like the more we try the worse it gets. However, Paul reminds us, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our
Lord!” (Romans 7:15-25) Through Christ, we are redeemed from the wrong
things we do.
In the Lord’s prayer we say, “Lead us not into temptation”.
The truth is, God doesn’t give us temptations. We find plenty of those on our
own. We may spend time watching cat videos instead of taking time to pray. It’s
easier to join the gossip than to find something positive to say. Shaking our
head over a problem is simpler than working for a solution. Every day we make
choices. Some of them take us down the well-traveled road that everyone else
takes. As Robert Frost suggests “I took the road less traveled and that has made
all the difference”.
Stand In Awe: Consider some of the
citations for ‘road’ in the Bible, like these.
“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your
presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
(Psalm 16:11)
“A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.” (Isaiah 35:8)
“A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.” (Isaiah 35:8)
The scripture promises that following God’s way, will be the
way of joy and holiness. Jesus tells his disciples, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is
easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is
narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
(Matthew 7:13-14)
When we pray ‘lead us not into temptation’, we are asking
God to show us the proper path, the right road to follow. Probably it will be
the ‘road less traveled’.
Sit with God and imagine what that road looks like in your
life.
Involve your Heart: Think
through yesterday. When did you give in to temptations to take the easier road?
What is your greatest temptation, the thing that lures you
away from God’s path-power, social media, being likable…?
If there is a labyrinth nearby, take time to walk it
thinking about how the path guides you without you having to determine which
way to go. In the same way God guides your steps when you let God be in charge.*
This week focus on the phrase
“Lead us not into Temptation”
*From Thy Kingdom Come
