Rescue us
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
Often times when we see the word “temptation” – we tend to think of the MAJOR vices: “sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.” We can easily skip over this portion of this prayer in thinking that it doesn’t apply to us.
But – we need to humbly consider what this really means. The definition of temptation is “the strong desire to have or do something, especially an action or item you know you should avoid.”
The reality is that we don’t wake up one day and decide “I think today I’m going to become an alcoholic.” It takes a few smaller steps…a few compromises here and there - to get to that point.
Every day we are faced with decisions. Some small, some big. Some without much consequence, some with large consequence. But decisions, nonetheless. When we begin to compromise on the little things – those little things turn into bigger things – which turn into large things. Before we know it – we are participating in things and are in places we never thought would be possible.
This portion of the Lord’s prayer is inviting God into our daily lives. It is asking Him to walk alongside us, to give us wisdom and keeps Him at the front of our mind, so when we are faced with decisions that need to made – we can make the best, right and Godly one. Understand that making poor decisions is a part of life (we are human after all) – but failure brings the opportunity to grow! You just have to make the decision to grow from it and not continue on the path of destruction. Learning to be more self-aware of the things you tend to lean towards instead of God is helpful.
At Home Activity:
Write your answers to the questions below in a journal or on a piece of paper.
Spend a couple of minutes in prayer – handing over these temptations – and inviting Him into your decision making each day.
What do you look to for comfort when you’ve had a hard day? Be honest.
What makes you “feel better” in difficult situations?
(These may not seem “bad” in the moment – but building a reliance on something other than God can lead to more compromising choices.)
Worship Songs:
I'm Listening - Chris McClarney, Hollyn
Wilderness (I Need You) - Stephen Witt
It's Always Been You - Phil Wickham