“Forgive us our trespasses” - A driver
placed a note under the windshield wiper of his illegally parked car which
read: "I’ve circled the block for 20 minutes. I’m late for an appointment,
and if I don’t park here I’ll lose my job. “Forgive us our trespasses.” When he
came back he found a parking ticket and a note from a police-man: "I’ve
circled the block for 20 years, and if I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my
job. “Lead us not into temptation."
A Sunday School teacher asked her class,
"What must you first do before you can be forgiven?" A child
answered, "Sin."
We have an obligation to extend forgiveness
to others. People who are unforgiving cannot understand or accept the
forgiveness God offers. Anyone who is not willing to forgive another has not
experienced God’s forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others, we are asking
God not to forgive us.
There are many people who refuse to
forgive; they harbor resentments and hold grudges. People often claim, "I
forgive - but I’ll never forget!" When I hear this, I do something
unexpected - I urge that person not to forget. I say, "I want you to
remember! Every time you remember the offense and feel the hurt, I want you to
remember your forgiveness." Amnesia isn’t the goal!
“Lead Us Not into temptation” …The word
"temptation" in the Greek is a neutral word--it can mean, based on
the context, either temptations, testing’s or trials. A trial is adversity,
suffering, or affliction. It’s been said, "Whatever doesn’t kill you makes
you stronger." Trials build character; they can transform common
Christians into exceptional saints. Trials are part of God’s plan for us. They
aren’t especially welcome, but they can - and do - increase our faith. This
petition forces us to our knees. It makes us admit how weak and vulnerable we
really are without God’s help. Temptation carries a two-fold meaning in most of
Scripture (testing or trial.)
“But deliver us from evil” - We battle an
enemy who knows our weak points. He knows that often it is when we think we are
invincible that we are the biggest targets. He delights in taking us down at
the very points we think we are the strongest. “When I am weak, then I am
strong,” was the cry of Paul. That was the heart of man who knew he needed
protection as well as direction through the maze of temptation.
Temptation is inevitable. Sin is not.
Weakness is certain. Failure is not. But it will be for one who does not seek
God’s direction and protection from temptation and Satan.
It is worth noting again that each of these
petitions is in the first-person plural. Give us. Forgive us. Deliver us. We
are not in this alone. We are together like it or not. That’s good. We not only
need to learn to pray. We need to learn to pray for one another. So, remember
that when you pray the Lord’s Prayer it is not about you and it’s not about
I/me/or my, it’s about “us.” We are all in this together.
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