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The Lord’s Prayer: part 4 of 6

And leave us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil.

There are a number of versions of this line in the Lord’s Prayer. The traditional version is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The Aramaic version reads, And let us not enter into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The version I’m using is suggested by Charles Fillmore who argued that the Lord would never lead us into temptation. Likewise, it is a bit awkward to think that if we succumbed to temptation, we could blame the Lord. I asked you to make sure I didn’t enter temptation, and here I am. Do you mind explaining why you let me do this?

Again, if we take the affirmative approach to this line, we will find it to be a helpful reminder that our strength is always present even in our weakest moments.

There are times when you feel flush with strength and optimism, when you know that you can move forward with confidence regardless of what the obstacles appear to be. Then there are those times when the appearances get the best of you. You look out and survey the landscape of your life and you wonder why you ever thought you could succeed. At such moments it is important to remember that God, your unfailing source of strength, power and wisdom, can never leave you.

The tempter within is not an entity that is trying to snare your soul and lead you to a path of self destruction. It is that lesser self in you, that region of consciousness that does not grasp the fuller truth of the omnipresence of God. The word evil can be understood as error or erroneous thinking, thinking that is based on appearances and half truths rather than on the truth of your wholeness and the potential for wholeness that your life holds perpetually. So, our conceptual translation of this line would go something like this: In my moments of weakness, your limitless love, power and wisdom lift me above all erroneous appearances … Making this inner shift connects you with your point of strength and you again move forward in confidence and in peace.