We have been looking at the pattern of prayer that the Lord gave to His disciples in Matthew 6, and how I personally use this as a pattern for my daily prayer.

In the past we have looked at the first 5 parts of the prayer and today we will be looking at the last request which says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”.

This is a request stemming from a deep sense of our personal weakness against the power of the evil one (Satan, or the devil).

When I pray this part of the prayer, I understand my weaknesses and know my dependance on God to deliver me. My mind can go to all of those areas of my own temptations and to any that I presently am dealing with. I pray to God letting Him know that I am weak and powerless without His help.

I know that I am no match for the devil using my own strength and power, but I also understand that there is no power stronger than the Lord’s and He can and will deliver me.

It’s here that I can pray for others I know that are struggling with particular temptations.

One last point I want to cover is the fact that temptations are not sin; they only lead to sin if we yield to them.

May we trust daily in the power of our God to deliver us.