In this manner pray… deliver us from evil…(Matthew 6:9-13).
1 John 5:19 says “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness”. The Greek word translated wickedness, i.e. “poneros”, also refers to evil. As the systems of the world continue under the sway of evil and wickedness, and we are in this world although not of this world, Jesus instructs us to pray to our Father to deliver us from evil.
Jesus Himself prayed this for His disciples: “I do not ask that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from evil” (John 17:15). Paul followed this example when he made this request from the church: “And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men…” (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Evil men orchestrate evil. Even so, when Paul asked the church to pray for deliverance form wicked and evil men, he simply requested for prayer to God to deliver them from evil, just as Jesus taught us to pray. So then, there is no evidence from the Bible upon which we may conclude that praying to God to deliver us from evil is no longer valid in the new covenant. The New Testament teaches the church to pray so.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 that “…Each day has enough trouble (evil) of its own.” Although Jesus used this statement in teaching us not to worry about tomorrow, He also revealed an important truth that each single day has enough evil to offer. Therefore, it is wisdom for us to pray to God to deliver us from evil at the start of each day. Again, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). If we have all these to deal with, then it is again wisdom for us to commit ourselves unto our faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19) by calling on Him to deliver us from evil, for by the arm of flesh shall no man prevail (1 Samuel 2:9; Zechariah 4:6 ).
It is naivete on our part to think that we are liked by everyone. Jesus said that His disciples will be hated on account of Him (Matthew 10:22) and warned that “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). Some of the evil we would have to deal with are those subtle ones that may come from places we would never have expected. As the Bible says “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend (Psalm 55:12-13) and “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9). One of the primary ways we save ourselves from being blindsided by these evils is to heed Jesus’ instruction to pray to the Father to deliver us from evil.
In the last days perilous times shall come (2 Timothy 3:1) and there shall be multiplication of wickedness (Matthew 24:12). If the saints who lived before us entrusted themselves to God to deliver them form the evil in their day, how much more should we pray in like manner, upon whom the end of the age with its culmination of evil has fallen. And we can be assured that when we pray thus the Lord will hear us because it’s His will for us to pray so and to deliver us from every evil (2 Thessalonians 3:1-3).
Kwadwo Omari, PhD
April 1, 2019.