Here, Jesus teaches us to pray for protection. This protection is not a request to avoid all difficulty, but a humble plea for God’s guidance and strength through it.
Jesus knows that life in a broken world includes temptation and suffering. Even he was tested in the wilderness and later in Gethsemane. Yet he teaches us to turn to God in our moments of weakness,
asking for deliverance, wisdom, and endurance. This prayer reminds us that when we are not strong enough on our own, we can rely on God to sustain us.
Praying “do not bring us to the time of trial” is an act of surrender. It acknowledges our vulnerability and affirms our dependence on God. We are not praying for a life free of hardship, but for a heart anchored in God when trials come. It’s a request for spiritual protection and the
faith to endure.
Jesus himself modelled this prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane when he honestly cried out to God to “take this cup from me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus shows that it is okay to cry out to God in lament when life is hard.
But Jesus’ ultimate trust in God, his Father, is revealed in the following verse of the same prayer: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus
understood that trials and suffering would come. It is okay to ask for protection, but ultimately, we can trust that God is with us and that God is faithful. God doesn’t lead us into destruction, but through trials, and empowers us to overcome.
What trials or temptations are you currently facing?
What do Jesus’ prayers teach you about taking these challenges to God in prayer?
Can you trust that God is with you throughout any suffering that you may face?
Reflections by Joe Taylor
