Highlights - Teach Us to Pray: Here There Be Tigers (Episode 19)

“Lead us not into temptation…”

A more accurate and helpful translation: “Spare us from difficult circumstances.” Two reasons - linguistic and theological.

“It’s a confession of our weakness. It’s us essentially saying, ‘Lord, I’m weak. I can’t handle the pressure. I’m vulnerable. Don’t put me to the test.’” (Villodas)

“It’s a vote of ‘no confidence’ in our own abilities…(it) confesses our feebleness as human beings. God expects us to pray that we will escape trials, and we should…we may not be able to stand up under them. They are dangerous!” (Willard)

”The disciple is conscious of his weakness, and does not expose himself unnecessarily…to test the strength of his faith. Christians ask God not to put their puny faith to the test.” (Bonhoeffer)

So, God’s Plan A is to spare us from the hardships/the trials of life, which put us at risk. Once we’re at the beginning of the trial/temptation continuum it becomes a slippery slope. So it’s best to be spared the trials in the first place. That’s God’s Plan A.

It’s unfortunate that we never know, in this life, how many times and in how many ways this prayer gets answered. If God prevents a trial from happening in our life, we’ll never know about it, because it never happened!

This request in the Lord’s Prayer is a reminder to us that God loves to spare his children from hardship. It’s his preferred way of treating us. No parent wants their child to suffer. We can pray this prayer with confidence. God will honor and answer it.

Our second line of defense (Plan B) is protection in the midst of trial. It’s what “deliver us from evil” is about. (Listen to the next episode.)

What to do when Plan A becomes Plan B:

1. Be realistic. “In the world you will have tribulation.” (Jesus) “Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable. So that what seems the ugly doctrine is one that comforts and strengthens you in the end. The people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world would become pessimists: the people who hold a pretty stern view of it become optimistic.” (C.S. Lewis)

2. Be obedient to God. A lot of our troubles are self-inflicted. (I knew better but, stupidly, I went ahead anyway and now live to regret it.) This prayer, “Spare us from difficult circumstances,” does not give us a “Get out of jail free” card when we do something stupid - when we ignore the Manufacturer’s Handbook.

3. Be teachable. God’s greater concern for us is not our comfort but our character. Trials can become turning points… A good prayer in a trial is, “Father, what are you trying to teach me?” The sooner we learn what we’re meant to learn, the sooner the trial can end.

4. Don’t be alone. No one needs to travel alone. God has provided help and that help often comes from others.

God’s witness protection program has a perfect record for those who follow the protocols. He’s never lost a single soul. God will either protect us from the trial - Plan A or he will protect us in the midst of the trial - Plan B. He keeps us out of it or takes us through it.….Either way, we can rest in the assurance that we are safe in Our Father's hands.