Deliver Us From Evil

Well we've finally come to the last petition of the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6 "but deliver us from the evil one." I've said before that it's my personal opinion that most of us don't have to deal with the devil very often. I say that because in my observation, the average Christian stays tripped up, bound up, and defeated by their own flesh so often that the devil need not worry about us.

Having said that, it is true that the devil wants to destroy people, especially anyone who is attempting anything for God or is engaging in Kingdom work. John 10:10 references this when it paints a picture of what satan's goals are "only to steal and kill and destroy". Never underestimate the power of satan. He is constantly setting traps, hoping to destroy God's people and steal away our joy of life in Christ.

I've always thought of the "deliver us from the evil one" petition as a prayer for protection, but it's actually much more than that. The word "deliver" in the original language is not so much a picture of building a wall of protection, but speaks more of "snatching us away" from the evil one. I think this is important.

The protection we are offered in Christ is not just a passive "I hope you have a peaceful day" kind of thing, it's an active, offensive, perhaps even preemptive strike from the mighty hand of our Father against anything that the devil would try to do to us today. It goes back to the first words of this prayer, "Our Father". A good father doesn't just "hope" his children are safe, he is aware of what is going on and when he senses danger, he acts to protect his own. Even animals have that instinct, so how much more so does "Our Father" protect His children?

One of my favorite authors is Max Lucado. In my studies on this passage, I came across something that he said that I think wraps this up well....

"The phrase is best understood with a simple illustration. Imagine a father and son walking down an icy street. The father cautions the boy to be careful, but the boy is too excited to slow down. He hits the first patch of ice. Up go the feet and down plops the bottom. Dad comes along and helps him to his feet. The boy apologizes for disregarding the warning and then, tightly holding his father’s big hand, he asks, “Keep me from the slippery spots. Don’t let me fall again.”

The Father is so willing to comply. “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Ps. 37:23–24 TLB). Such is the heart of this petition. It’s a tender request of a child to a father. The last few slips have taught us—the walk is too treacherous to make alone. So we place our small hand in his large one and say, “Please, Abba, keep me from evil.”" by Max Lucado

Have a BLESSED day and Live For Jesus!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip