Devotional Gems by Jolene
Created for Bible Study for Kids
God's Protection
Part 7 of 8
Luke 11:2-4
By J.D. Griffith
“And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” What are we
praying for with this sentence?
A woman wore a T-shirt that announced, “Lead me not into temptation—I
can find it myself.” Most people would chuckle at that, realizing that
it
is true for us all! Do you know what an understatement is? It’s stating
the obvious by negating its opposite. “You don’t need to tell me to be
careful of fire!” Amy said with a red face. She’d been standing too
close to the campfire roasting marshmallows, and her face was
burnt--obvious to everyone but herself.
“Lead us not into temptation” could be said, “Keep me away from
temptation, Lord!” Or “Don’t let Satan trap me!” God does not lead us
into temptation; that’s the devil’s trick. God provides a way for us to
avoid temptation, if we listen. Truth is, we seldom
want to be delivered from temptation.
Sin promises us too much--too much fun. Time is short and we don’t want
to miss the chance to have fun. Just this once. It may
never come back, we plead. Temptation stirs up the blood and
inflames the imagination. If we were freaked out by sin, it wouldn’t be
tempting at all!
If we were honest, we’d admit that it’s not temptation that bothers us.
We want the consequences of our disobedience removed from the scene. In
the context of this prayer, we’re asking God to keep us from being
naughty boys and girls. But there’s more.
Satan threatens us with far more danger. We are surrounded by seductions
that tempt us to live life apart from God. The enemy wants to lure us so
far away from God that we’ll never return to obedience.
If temptation brought chains to bind us, we might resist it on our own.
Instead, it brings flowers, cheer, and good times. It bribes us with
wealth, popularity, and freedom. Only God can steer us away from its
charms.
Behind every temptation stand the tempter; behind the lies, the liar.
“Deliver us from evil” we say in recognition of Satan’s power and our
weakness. We pray for the power of almighty God to keep us safe.
Take Home Nugget
Our ambitions and success can lead us to honor our own name,
to bow down to our own kingdom, take credit for
baking our own bread, and deny our
need for forgiving grace. Only God can open our eyes to see sin
for what it is.
The kids gathered round
Giggling and laughter abound.
No one paid attention to the one
In the back. Hidden and crying.
J.D Griffith
