Lead us not into Temptation (Mid-week Message)

 

 

Lead us not into Temptation

Fr. Tony’s Mid-week Message

September 30, 2015

 

“Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in faithfulness to you. (Psalm 26:2-3)

 

“Do not bring us to the time of trial, and deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:14)

 

 

The Psalmist asks God to test and try him so that God may know that he is just as innocent as he himself believes.  The Psalmist thus shows a certain confidence, rooted in his faith in God’s “steadfast love.”    Trust in God’s mercy and belief that you have really tried to do the right thing is not all that bad.  Perhaps we all need to be willing to have God try us if that is at the heart of it.   Unfortunately, if you go on in the Psalm, you see that the Psalmist is finding his sense of confidence by comparing himself to others whom he finds definitely more wicked than he is.

 

In contrast, Jesus in the “Our Father” prayer asks that God not put us to the test (traditional language: “lead us not into temptation”).   This shows, perhaps, a little more self-awareness than the Psalmist’s.  God’s love and mercy may be steadfast, but our own ability to mess things up, even with the best of intentions, also seems just as steadfast.

 

I have to admit it: I’m with Jesus here.  Not because I suffer from any morbid sense of guilt or unworthiness, but because, with Jesus, I know my own limitations and believe that “today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34).    I will have plenty of testings and trials without asking God for any additional ones, thank you very much. 

 

Grace and Peace,

Fr. Tony+