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29& THE PRESBYTERD
| Devotional and Selections j
MEDITATIONS ON THE LORD'S PRAYER.
"Lead us Not into Temptation, but Deliever us from
Evil." The Cry of the Trustful Heart.
Why should our Saviour have taught us this prayer?
Does God lead His people into temptation?
James says expressly: "Let no man say when he is
tempted: 1 ani tempted of God, for God can not be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth lie any man, but
every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his
own lusts and enticed."
What then are we to understand by these words? We
must remember they were given by the Son of God
Himself.
In searching for the mention of temptation in the
Bible we find that the word has two meanings. It
means both testing or trying, and enticing or seducing
to evil.
When the devil tempted Eve, he appeared to her in
the form of a serpent, and openly defied God, and contradicted
His word, lie enticed her into sin by inducing
her to eat the forbidden fruit.
When God is said to have tempted Abraham we
know that lie was testing or proving Abraham's faith
and love.
When we read that the Israelites tempted God by
their murmuring and doubts, thus "limiting the Holy
Ono of " wo rom omhor that "CZnA oat-i nnt ho
tempted of evil," as we are, in the sense of being enticed
or seduced to do wrong, but that the expression
is only used to show us that if God were not God, He
would have been tempted under such provocation, to
destroy them.
In Gal. 6:9 we arc told that "They who desire riches
fall into temptation and a snare."
Paul has just been advising the Galatians to be content
with such things as they have, and he seems to
have gone on to say: But take heed! for the devil, the
tempter, makes this desire for riches a means of alluring,
or ensnaring many people, therefore?do not culti
vate the desire for riches.
In the story of Job's temptation we sec that in this
sense of being tested, or proved, God does permit His
children to be tempted, and does it in order to "bring
forth their righteousness as the light: and Job was
proved," and in all this Job sinned not nor charged
God foolishly."
When our Saviour was tempted in the wilderness the
devil tempted Him by offering Him opportunities that
would have allured any mere man to exhibit the extraordinary
powers lie possessed; and we know that our
Saviour proved Himself superior to them all, and met
them as all temptations should be met, by using God's
Word to silence satan.
When we pray then, "Lead us not into temptation,"
we do not ask God not to test us as gold ts tried, in or?.?.
n ? ? . -
aer tnat our naenty and preparation tor service may be
proved, but to keep us, in His providence from those
situations which would draw us away from Him?but
will "make a way of escape that we may be able to
bear it."
j
OF THE SOUTH. March 9, 1910.
As some one lias quaintly put it: "That if the desire
be present the occasion may be absent, and if the opportunity
occur the desire may not be present."
\\ hat then should be the attitude of every child of
God with reference to temptation?
it \vouici seem tnat in tlie first place it should be one
of entire self-distrust. Secondly, one of confident trust
in God. That we should expect to be "kept by the power
of God through faith," from those positions in which we
would be allured or enticed into sin; and that we may
know that when we do fall into sin it is because we
have, not been watching, have trusted to ourselves instead
of looking unto Him who is able to keep us from
falling, and who has promised: "As thy day, so shall thy
strength be."
Going forth to meet temptation with i Cor. 10:13 in
one hand, and in the other the blessed assurance of
Ileb. 4:15 we may surely come boldly to the throne of
Grace, and find grace to help in every time of need.
But we are taught not only to pray for deliverance
from temptation, but "from evil." What evil?
The best of the commentators regard the attempt to
confine the meaning of evil here to the evil one, as limiting
it too much, and interpret it as meaning: deliver
us from evil in all its forms, not only from the devil,
who is the father of all evil, but from those evil people
who arc his emissaries, those evil thoughts and desires i
that are his instruments, and those evil actions which \
oftentimes affect the innocent as welt as the guilty.
What a sense of security settles down upon the be-^B
licver's heart when he thoughtfully and confidently^^
utters the words of this petition ! 2S
To i.? f- , ...ui?^ 1 r ^ t
.ao iiv. uoDauiiv.u Hum Hiuiuui emu iiurn wnnin r i_.et
him lift up his eyes to Him who gave him this prayer \
without fear of evil.
Are the world, the flesh, and the devil combining to
destroy his soul's peace, and to drive him away from
God? Let this cry go up to Him who is the "hearer of
prayer," but "Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering;
for let not that man think that he shall receive anything
of the Lord." May our hearts grow strong, and with
new faith and purpose may we say: "Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil."
S. O H. D.
Winston-Salem, N. C.
MEMORY.
1 ? '
,u; mciiiuij a gmBB reiiecis a room
With windows long, that open on
A high walled garden, full of bloom,
From whence sweet scents are borne.
By a window in her high-backed chair
Sits Grandaunt with her snowy hair.
L'pon the curls that framed her face
Rested a tiny cap of lace.
Bound her each Sunday afternoon
Were we, as little children, taught,
To "Wondrous Words" to raise the tune
And from the "Catechism Short."
In these swift days' material lust
When we forget because we must,
O keep some pictures from the dust,
Some hallowed shrine from rust.
Esther Jackson Wirgman.
Romney, W. Va