Matthew 6:13
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
What of Today’s Verse…
Our Lord couples His own prayer with ours when He says, pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We remember that He was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, that He might be tempted, and that “in all points” He was tempted like as we are, though in His case there was no sin. It is wonderful to know that by some marvellous oneness of nature the Son of God Himself pursued the dreaded track of temptation.
And while we have this moral nature which links us, upon the one hand, to the eternal Christ, our Captain, who has gone through the same ordeal, we are also linked to every other man, woman, and child the world over. For, though we might suppose that there were such diversities of life that some might be secure of immunity from temptation, yet a closer inspection of our common lot reveals the fact that it is inevitable to us all.
Temptation creeps into the sick-chamber equally as into the heyday of our health. It finds its way into the seclusion of the student even as it dogs the steps of the man of the world doing his business. It comes to the minister, with its tendency to elation or despondency, as well as to the criminal; to the poor as well as to the rich. There is no life, however guarded, that is not exposed to the blast and sirocco of temptation. Therefore we utter this prayer as one—“as.”
But let us take heart! Remember it is the Father to whom this prayer is addressed. He made us, and knows just what we can stand; He loves us, and His tender succour is always by our side. He draws near, saying, “I am with you in this dark valley, and am able to make you stand; I would not have brought you here had I not counted the cost. I am able to be a very present help in this time of trouble. I have carried others through this ordeal, and I can carry you; only keep near my side; look away from the tempter to my face; cease to trust yourself and depend absolutely upon Me, and I, who brought you to this testing-place, will lead you out. Be of good cheer! See, there awaits you the crown which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to each soldier who has stood true to Him in the hour of trial, and you could not get that if you did not bear this. It is because I want you to win that I am giving you the chance of this hard fight.”
Let us Pray:
Father, be it so; my heart and my flesh fail, but Thou art the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. Forbid that we should be overcome with evil, help us to overcome evil with good. Amen.
Words of Wisdom
Beauty
I behold the beauty of God in all people and all things.
It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The word behold is especially significant, for it reminds us to take time to really see–to consciously observe–the beauty around us.
What beauty do I behold today? Is it the rising sun? Is it the face of a loving companion or a precious pet? A sacred prayer that fills my heart and soul? I can behold beauty in all of these things and more. Anytime I seek beauty, I will find it. It may be found in a tiny grain of sand or in the vastness of a canyon. I may find beauty in the magnificence of the outside world or in the deep inner sanctum of my soul.
Today I behold the beauty in all things. As I do, I see the beauty within and around me in greater splendour.
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. –Psalm 27:4
