Pray in This Way (Part Seven)

“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.”
(Matthew 6:9–13)

“Lead us not into temptation.” All sincere prayer in confession of sin will naturally lead to prayer for deliverance from the power and presence of sin itself. God does not forgive us our sins, wiping the slate clean, in order for us to keep on sinning but rather so we can be holy as He is holy. The same Holy Spirit that communicates to us the boundless mercy and forgiveness of God also holds the power to transform us—from heart to head, body and soul—into a “new creation,” having done with the “old man” and becoming more and more like the Christ who saves us. Christ not only saves us from the guilt of our sins and the punishment we deserve, but Christ saves us from the sins themselves and the sinfulness itself.

So this is one of the things that ought to form our daily prayers to Him: “God, deliver me from my sins. Keep me from sin and temptation.” If we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness but skip the part about repentance and the need for God’s help in avoiding evil, our prayer is suspect to insincerity. If we really believe our sin is “sin,” that is, the “bad” in our life, then our desire to leave it behind, avoid it, have done with it altogether, will be as strong as our desire for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

We should confess our sins both generally and specifically, and we should ask God’s help in our repentance in the same way—both generally and specifically. Naming our sins is important: it is only in naming our sins that we are being entirely honest with ourselves and before God (and others to whom we may be confessing). E.g., “God, forgive me for blabbing too much about so-and-so last night on the phone, and please help me not to be a gossip today.” But our overall desire should be to have God thoroughly cleanse us from sin and sinfulness, knowing He knows the depth and extent of our sins far better than we do.

“Gracious heavenly Father, we acknowledge again not only our sins but our great propensity to sinfulness. God, please deliver us from our sins and from our sinning. Lead us not into temptation but away from it. Make us holy as You are holy. Grant to us an ever-increasing desire for holiness and an ever-increasing hatred for our sins. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and cause us to walk in the way of righteousness and goodness. Help us this day to put to death the “deeds of the flesh,” all of those things that go contrary to Your law and Your character. Increase our faith, dear God, and help us in our repentance, for our desire is to obey You, to please You, to enjoy life the way You meant it to be, and to bring You glory by doing so. We pray earnestly in the name of Jesus. Amen.”