Lead us not into temptation

We come to the next petition, which deals with temptation. Jesus has us pray, "lead us not into temptation."

Jesus realized the power of temptation in his own life as he was in the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by Satan. It was a wrenching time for our Lord. He had been fasting; now he was tempted to turn stones into bread, to fall down from the pinnacle of the temple, and was offered all the kingdoms of the world by Satan. Jesus didn't yield to any of these temptations, because doing so would have compromised his own mission.

Notice here the way the petition is worded. We are instructed that we would not even be in the place of being tempted! How strong are you not to yield when temptation comes? Do you have the stamina to resist no matter what?

I'm sure we would all recognize our own weaknesses when we are placed in tempting situations. That is why our Lord has us pray that we would not even be in the position to have to make a decision.

Jesus knows what is our good. We pray that we would not be put in a position where we would compromise who we are as Christians.

How have you handled temptation when it comes your way? Do you realize the force of this position as you pray the Lord's Prayer?