And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13a

I think of this as a wise and humble prayer. We are all weak (to varying degrees) to temptations (of various kinds). If we are wise enough to know our weaknesses, may we be humble enough to regularly ask the Lord for His mercy to protect us from temptation. Of course, the primary way He will answer this request is that we must do our part (in the strength of His Spirit) to avoid temptation—beginning with what we already know we are particularly weak to.

As stated in an earlier post, we need not fear that God is tempting us to sin (He never does that, James 1:13), but we do know that He has us living in a sinful world filled with temptations. Why? To further our spiritual growth in sanctification.

The last phrase, “deliver us from the evil one,” is a prayer, that when we do encounter temptation (which is inevitable), the Lord will protect us from succumbing to the wiles of the enemy of our souls, Satan. When Christians sin, we fall down, but by God’s grace the elect will not fall away. When we pray “deliver us from the evil one,” we are praying for the Lord’s prayers for us (Hebrews 7:25). His prayers for us are our ultimate safety net. Remember Jesus’ promise to pray for Peter when he was being sifted by Satan:

Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

It was the Lord’s prayers for Peter, when Peter was being sifted by Satan, that kept him from following in the disastrous footsteps of Judas. And it is His prayers for us that protect us. We invite and plead for His prayer when we pray, “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”