And do not bring us to the time of trial
But rescue us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:13

The final line of the Lord's Prayer is one that Jesus himself prayed in the Garden of Gesthemane. By reading alongside wisdom found in the book of James, Pastor Amy shared three key learnings on why Jesus taught his followers to pray to avoid trials and for rescue from evil.

Humble Cry for Help

• “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face various trials, consider it all joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance complete its work, so that you may be complete and whole, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
• Why would we ask God to spare us from trials when James tells us that we should "consider it all joy" when we face them?
• Jesus does not teach his disciples to pray "super Christian" prayers, asking for more testing or for us to prevail in the face of every test. Rather we have a humble prayer that acknowledges our human limitations.
• When Jesus, knowing he'd face the ultimate trial of the cross, prayed, he asked God, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Jesus also prayed to not be led into the trial.
• “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
• We ask to avoid trials because our flesh is weak, and although we may have good intentions to follow God's way, we live in awareness of our dependence upon his grace to bring us through challenges.
• A good teacher does not give tests everyday because students need time to learn the material. Jesus is the best kind of teacher or rabbi, and he gives us the Counselor, the Spirit.
• Even as the Spirit strengthens your ability to have self-control and obey God’s way, this prayer reminds us that we are still fragile and finite.
• Paul reports that God's "power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 2:9) so by praying this prayer, we too lay open our weaknesses before God and humbly invite his power to fill us.
• Some of us are not overconfident of our ability to surpass a trial but rather overly aware of our sin and weaknesses. We must learn not to undervalue the power of the cross and God's ability to help us.
• This prayer reminds us to slow down, to not overestimate our own ability to win or sin, and to invite God into our problem.

Trusting Response to Trial

• Depending on the context, the Greek word peirasmos can be translated as trial, temptation or test.
• A test is meant to evaluate knowledge, aptitude or endurance—possibly for promotion—whereas a temptation is meant to entice, seduce or bate you off course.
• “Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, ‘God is trying to trip me up.’ God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.” James 1:12-15
• God does not tempt us, but across the Old Testament, we see God test his people to reveal what is in their heart (see Deuteronomy 8:2) and see if they will choose to trust him.
• The first test in the Bible is found in Genesis 3, when God gives humans the choice to trust him and rely on him for wisdom or to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, relying on their own understanding.
• God tests Abraham in Genesis 22 by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham and Sarah doubted God's promise for a son and tried to achieve the promise on their own terms, so this final test asks Abraham to trust God with his promised son, Isaac.
• God provides a "ram in the thicket" or "a way of escape" (see 1 Corinthians 10:13) for Abraham. To commemorate, Abraham names the spot "God provides" or Jehovah Jireh.
• God provides for our daily bread and many needs, but the origin story of the name Jehovah Jireh is that when we face tests, God provides a way—if only we will trust him.
• We need discernment or wisdom to navigate trials, but that is accessed through surrender.
• We don't live in fear of failure because we have a God who has already won the ultimate victory. If death is not the end, neither is failure.
• When Mary was faced with a test—possible eviction from the temple, disowning from her family, divorce from her fiancé—she responded, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
• May our trusting response to facing trials be "Here I am, Lord"—the same response as Mary, Abraham and Isaiah.

Desire to Draw Near to God

• “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7-8
• Submitting to God and resisting the devil are two sides of the same coin. By submitting to God, we have made our allegiance clear—who we live for and what we resist.
• Requesting deliverance from the evil one leads us into intimacy, drawing near to God.
• We are not just delivered from sin or evil but to God.
• “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.” Exodus19:4
• We are not saved by a mindless machine or algorithm or force of energy. We are scooped up from danger into the Father's arms.
• The Lord's Prayer begins with the words, "Our Father in heaven," and the closing words "evil one" are the opposite. The prayer begins in the holiness of God's throne room and ends in the face of evil, darkness and corruption.
• Praying for rescue from the evil one is to return us to the safety and security of the beginning of the prayer, "Our Father in heaven."
• “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
• We now can run boldly back to God's presence because we have a Savior who understands our weaknesses ("bring us not") and was tested in every respect ("time of trial") and now provides us with help in time of need ("rescue us from the evil one").

Additional Scriptures

• Psalm 27:1-4
• Proverbs 24:16
• 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

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