Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Lead Us Not Into Temptation I was thinking about something in the Lord’s Prayer the other day—something I’ve prayed thousands of times without really stopping to ask what it means. Jesus teaches us to pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” And I found myself asking a simple question: Does God tempt us? Would a loving Father ever lead His children toward sin? Scripture gives a clear answer: “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” — James 1:13 So why would Jesus tell us to pray this? The meaning is deeper than the English words The Greek word Jesus uses— peirasmos —can mean temptation, testing, trial, pressure, or a situation that reveals what’s inside a person. So the prayer isn’t saying, “Father, don’t tempt us.” God never would. It’s saying: “Father, don’t let us be taken into a trial that overwhelms us.” “Don’t let us be drawn into situations where we might fall.” “Protect us from th...