Praying as Christ Taught Us: Deliver Us From Evil

We come once again to the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus teaches us to seek God’s ongoing protection and preservation. In the second half of this petition, we do not find a polite closing line, but a desperate plea. Jesus is teaching us something essential: The Christian life is lived in the middle of a battle. We are not simply asking God to make life easier. We are asking Him to rescue us from a real and active enemy. How do we respond to this petition? How does God answer this prayer?