Pr. Goodman serves as associate pastor at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas.
“Deliver or preserve us from the Evil One, or the Malicious One; and it looks as if He were speaking of the devil, as though He would comprehend everything in one, so that the entire substance of all our prayer is directed against our chief enemy. For it is he who hinders among us everything that we pray for: the name or honor of God, God’s kingdom and will, our daily bread, a cheerful good conscience, etc.”
“Therefore we Christians must be armed and daily expect to be incessantly attacked, in order that no one may go on in security and heedlessly, as though the devil were far from us, but at all times expect and parry his blows. For though I am now chaste, patient, kind, and in firm faith, the devil will this very hour send such an arrow into my heart that I can scarcely stand. For he is an enemy that never desists nor becomes tired, so that when one temptation ceases, there always arise others and fresh ones. Accordingly, there is no help or comfort except to run hither and to take hold of the Lord’s Prayer, and thus speak to God from the heart: Dear Father, Thou hast bidden me pray; let me not relapse because of temptations.”
“But such feeling, as long as it is against our will and we would rather be rid of it, can harm no one. For if we did not feel it, it could not be called a temptation. But to consent thereto is when we give it the reins and do not resist or pray against it.”
Everyone experiences temptation, though not all in the same manner. It’s easy to understand people who sin like you sin. It’s harder to have compassion on those who experience different temptations. In Christ, we can find compassion for those who experience temptation without excusing sin.
We pray “lead us not into temptation” because the odds are stacked against us, and nobody could avoid or resist temptation on our own, but this is not a fair fight. God fights for us, and lets us live free in the gospel.
Show description.
God teaches us to pray to remind us that our life as Christians isn’t an ever upward climb of improvement, and it isn’t a sin that grace may abound, but a constant return to God in the face of temptation.
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…as we forgive those who trespass against us?
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Invest in Our Youth—The Higher Things® organization relies on the financial support from individuals and congregations to support our mission of Daring to be Lutheran. Donate Online Now! (http://higherthings.org/support)
If you have questions about how you can help support Higher Things® please contact support@higherthings.org.
