Have you ever felt like your child was pushing your buttons? Maybe when he or she blatantly disobeys or speaks with a kind of “verbal eye-rolling” by saying the right words, but from a wrong heart. At other times, life events themselves seem to conspire against you and push your buttons! Everything from the illness coming home from school, to discovering that tonight’s meat for dinner has spoiled in the fridge, or some new dents on the car from your teen’s driving… my list goes on. And I’m sure yours does as well.
We parents each have a unique set of circumstances that challenge us to respond in godly ways. But take heart, dear parent! Part of how our Savior Jesus taught us how to pray acknowledges overwhelming moments like these. We are to pray, “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). As Jesus said earlier in this passage, our Father’s heart toward you is attentive and generous. He is both ready to respond and knows what you need before you ask. We can pray in this way because God grows our faith and preserves his children.
God Grows Your Faith
First, Christians can confidently say that God is always growing our faith. At first glance, the phrase “lead us not into temptation” implies that God might tempt us to sin. But James firmly rejects this idea. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). God’s motives are always pure, right, and holy. His heart toward you is for your good. Satan, on the other hand, works to tempt us toward sin and destroy our faith. Jesus made this clear when he told Peter that Satan wanted to “sift you like wheat.” Yet by praying for him, Jesus protected Peter’s faith so that it would not fail (Luke 22:31-32).
Here’s another way to understand this tension: God tests us to grow our faith, but Satan tempts us to weaken our faith. Whenever God ordains hardship for his children, it is never to punish or corrupt. These situations bring us to the end of ourselves, so that we trust him more. Think of how God’s testing of Abraham to offer up Isaac grew faith and displayed God’s power (Heb. 11:17).
Additionally, consider how even fiery trials of suffering prepare us for the crown of life (James 1:12) and increase our reliance upon the Spirit (1 Pet. 4:12). Satan, on the other hand, loves to pounce in these moments, looking for someone to devour, smothering my faith with oppression and despair. But because God intends to grow our faith, we can know there is always a means of escape. Sinning is not my only option (1 Cor. 10:13). God is faithful and is growing your faith.
God Preserves Us
Second, Christians can also confidently say that God is preserving his children. This is why Jesus encouraged us to appeal, “Deliver us from evil.” This includes the evil around me, the evil responses to which I’m prone, and even the evil one himself, Satan. Oh Lord, deliver us! Jesus prayed this way, asking that the Father would “keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) God’s solution is not simply removing us from the world. Rather, God will keep us to the end of our lives in this hard world. Paul said it this way, “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thes. 3:3).
Often, my natural response to parental hardship is feeling frustrated, angry, or defeated. When offended, my muscles tense and I feel the pressure rising inside, preparing to do battle against an unwelcome situation I now face. But as Christians living before God, our goal can’t simply be overcoming these obstacles. Rather, my goal must be to please and honor God at all times. That he would smile as he looks down upon how I’m reacting in this moment. In the pressure of parental intensity, my theological field of view often narrows. But by faith, may the Lord enlarge our awareness and remind us that he protects and keeps us all unto the end (Jude 24). Our future is bright and secure in Christ. God is preserving his children unto the end.
Praying Together
Fellow parents, God grows your faith and preserves us, his children. Jesus taught us to pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” May this clause of the Lord’s Prayer provide us with spiritual encouragement and strength amid our moments of parental crisis.
When Jesus began his model prayer, he said to “pray like this…” Therefore, we can think of this prayer more as a sequence of themes to pray through, rather than a strict script that limits our vocabulary. So would you join me in praying as parents, through this clause of the Lord’s Prayer?
Father in Heaven, lead me. I feel my own responses leading me towards ungodly reactions in this hard moment. May this very act of praying itself be a means of escape from the ways I feel like giving up, returning evil for evil, and demanding immediate fixes. Deliver me from the temptation to give up or fight back right now. I’m humbled to recall that all my sinful responses have been paid for by Jesus’ blood in my place.
So now, by your Spirit within me, renew my strength to trust you and wait. May the result of this trial be a stronger and more vibrant faith in you. Deliver me from the schemes of Satan in this moment. Thank you that your sovereign hands are always upon the leash around his neck. I believe again in faith that you’ll preserve me until the end, and I will forever be with you, because of Christ’s life and death in my place. Amen.
For more encouragement in your parenting, check out our Rooted Parent Podcast.
