The Father's Protection

As we wrap up our lenten discipline of praying the Lord’s Prayer, one thing should be stated: the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer of surrender.  It is asking God six different things that we can’t do on our own.  We acknowledge our need for God.  But we are also surrendering and trusting him to meet those needs in whatever way he chooses.  We can offer suggestions, but daily bread doesn’t always come at the time and in the amounts we want.  Yet it always comes as we need it.  God’s guidance (“lead us not into temptation”) doesn’t always direct us to our first choice.  When we ask for God’s kingdom to come, we are submitting to the way he chooses to bring it.

As we pray the last request, we must also come with the same spirit of surrender.  We ask God to deliver us from evil.  God may protect me from the evil that would come to me if I had too much.  He may protect you from what a level of success would do to your marriage and your family.  God may protect you from complacency or spiritual apathy by letting some hardship into your life.  In praying this request, we are giving God the power to pursue our greatest good.  Protecting us from the worst things may mean exposing us to some other things.