What does “Lead us not into temptation” mean? Some people think this is one one of the most puzzling verses in the Bible. They believe that God leads us into temptation and so we must beg him to stop doing it. But that cannot be so, because James 1:13 makes this clear: “When you are tempted don’t ever say, ‘God is tempting me,’ for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation.”
Temptation often comes not at our strongest, but our weakest moments. When we are at the limit of our patience, love, etc., we are tempted to act in an un-Christian manner. So when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are simply praying, “Do not allow us to come under the sway of temptation that will overpower us and cause us to sin.”
You know what; some of us really have no strong desire to overcome temptation. But friend, if you would like to be a victor rather than a victim, an overcomer rather than be overcome, you can study the lives of some great Christians of our time; people like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. They faced some serious trials and tribulations, but their great trials made them into spiritual giants. James 1:2 & 3 declares, “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can…For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things.”
by Corville Peters
