Matthew 6:13
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Though God does not tempt us, we know that we will face temptation even as Jesus did in Matthew 4. James 1:13-15 tells us, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
God will not tempt us to sin, but He might allow us to be led into temptation, or on the other hand, He can protect us from temptation. This prayer is asking God for His protection against temptation. Also, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God will only allow temptation that He knows we can withstand. Also, Romans 13:14 tells us to trust God to stay out of places and situations of temptation. "...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Therefore, if we know we have weaknesses in certain areas, we should avoid the possibility of being tempted and then giving in to that sin.
The second part of v. 13 is asking for God's protection against Satan, the evil one. The Bible gives examples of direct attacks by Satan--Job, Peter, Paul and perhaps others. God is directing us here to ask for God's protection. Always remember that though Satan is a powerful foe, he is not God! Our Heavenly Father is all-powerful, and Satan can only do what God allows.
Some translations include here "for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." I think these are good words to meditate on here because the eternal kingdom is indeed God's and not Satan's, God is all-powerful but Satan's power is limited, and God's glory will one day be revealed to everyone!
Psalm 84
"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!" How fitting that this psalm begins by addressing God as the "Almighty!" The psalmist longs to be in His presence.
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." vv. 10-12
Here is the link to Matt Redman's worship song based on Psalm 84: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVRcqziKWA
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