CHAPTER XXX.

THE SIXTH PETITION.


And lead us not into temptation.

_What is meant by this Petition?_

God, indeed, tempts no one to sin; but we pray in this petition that God
would so guard and preserve us, that the devil, the world, and our own
flesh may not deceive us, nor lead us into error and unbelief, despair,
and other great and shameful sins; and that, though we may be thus
tempted, we may nevertheless finally prevail and gain the victory.

As children of God we must not only seek forgiveness for past sins, but
be anxious to avoid sin in the future. We therefore pray that, as far as
is possible according to His gracious will, God would keep us from being
tempted, and would give us strength to overcome when we are tempted.

If we are in earnest in praying this Petition, we will not run into
temptation ourselves, [Matt. 4:7] nor lead others into it.

HOW WE ARE TEMPTED.

GOD INDEED TEMPTS NO ONE TO SIN: for He wishes us to do good, and not
evil. But He leads us into circumstances in which we are _tried_, and
must decide for or against Him, for good or for evil. This is the sense
in which the Bible speaks of God as tempting persons. [Gen. 22:1] He
tries or tests us. Remembering that we are weak, we pray in this