What a powerful and essential plea - straight from the heart of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:13). Here’s a reflection and prayer weaving that vital petition with the call to love enemies:
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**"Lead Us Not, But Deliver Us"
(A Prayer for Protection in the Struggle)**
**"Our Father..."** The prayer begins with love,
But soon we face the tempter’s shove:
**"Lead us not into temptation’s snare,
But from the evil one, deliver us, there."**
*(Matthew 6:13, the Savior's plea)*
This cry is vital, Lord, for me –
*Especially* when the world feels stark,
When enemies wound, leaving their mark.
**For loving them?** The path is steep,
Where bitterness can take its keep.
The *temptation* rises fierce and fast:
To hate, resent, hold shadows cast,
To curse in thought, repay the blow,
To nurse the hurt and let it grow.
**"Lead me not there!"** my spirit cries,
Where vengeful fire burns in my eyes.
**"Deliver me from evil’s might,"**
Both *in* the world and *in* the fight
That rages *within* my fragile soul,
Where dark thoughts strive to take control.
Deliver me from Satan’s lie
That says, "Retaliate!" or "Let them die!"
Deliver me from poisoned grace
That justifies hostility’s embrace.
**You tempted no one, Lord, we know**
*(James 1:13)* – Your testing’s aim is that we grow,
Refined, not ruined, by the flame,
To bear Your likeness, praise Your name.
**"WATCH AND PRAY,"** You warned that awful night
*(Matthew 26:41)*, when darkness swallowed light –
That *we* might stand when trials press,
And choose Your way of righteousness.
**When enemy faces fill my view,
And every instinct screams, "Be true
To anger!" – Lead me *not* that way!
Be my Deliverer, Lord, I pray!**
Provide the **"way out"** promised sure
*(1 Corinthians 10:13)*, Your escape secure:
A sudden grace to hold my tongue,
A prayer instead of curses flung,
A memory of *Your* wounded side,
Where perfect love for foes was cried.
**Strengthen my shield of faith, I plead**
*(Ephesians 6:16)*, Against the fiery darts that feed
On wounded pride and justified rage –
Protect me on this perilous stage.
**Deliver me from evil’s claim,
And let me glorify Your name
By loving *as* You loved the cross:
Counting all enemies’ gain as loss,
And trusting You, my Fortress, Tower,
For strength to love in temptation’s hour.**
**Amen.**
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**Key Connections & Scripture:**
1. **The Core Plea:** Matthew 6:13 - "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (or "the evil one").
2. **God Does Not Tempt:** James 1:13 clarifies: "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." God *allows* testing (peirasmos), often through circumstances like persecution, but He provides the strength to endure and escape.
3. **The "Way Out":** 1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." Loving enemies is hard; this promise is vital.
4. **Jesus' Warning in Gethsemane:** Matthew 26:41 - "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Facing betrayal and death, Jesus knew the disciples' vulnerability. Loving enemies requires this vigilance and dependence on prayer.
5. **The Shield of Faith:** Ephesians 6:16 - "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Bitterness, hatred, and vengeful thoughts are precisely those "flaming arrows" we face when wronged.
6. **The Source of Strength:** The prayer acknowledges that the ability to love enemies *without* succumbing to temptation *requires* divine deliverance and empowerment ("Be my Deliverer," "Strengthen my shield of faith").
This prayer recognizes that the command to "love your enemies" inevitably brings us face-to-face with powerful temptations and the reality of evil (both external and internal). It cries out for God's protective guidance ("Lead us not...") and His rescuing power ("Deliver us...") precisely so that we *can* obey the seemingly impossible call to love.
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