Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The purpose of prayer is
primarily worship. The man who is ignorant of this
fact cannot possibly pray aright, but is like that one who James
speaks of, ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that
ye may consume it upon your lust. Those who spend more time asking
than they do extolling the glory of God are likely praying more
with themselves than they are with the true and living God.
The very act of prayer is a testimony to the absolute power of God
over all things, or else why would someone take the time to
ask something of a God who was unable to grant the request?
Those who hate the absolute predestination of all actions and events by
God often argue that it would be pointless to pray if God does
all things according to His will. But I say that the exact opposite
is true. What would be the point in praying to a God who was dependent
on the actions of someone else, or may or may not be able to
bring something to pass, or one who could only wring his hands
as evil ran rampant in the earth and men and devils thwarted his
purpose at every turn? The phrase, lead us not into
temptation, is a clear testimony to the teaching of the Lord Jesus
that there is no action which is not under the complete control
of God. Even the very steps which men take in the earth are directed
by him. A man's heart deviseth his way,
but the Lord directeth his steps. Man's goings are of the Lord.
How can a man then understand his own way? We are totally at
the mercy of him who says, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. The scripture clearly teaches,
and our experience bears it out, that the depravity of our heart
is what inclines us to sin and brings about the consequences
thereof. Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he
any man. But every man is tempted when
he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.
The only thing that will preserve us from the destruction that
waiteth at noonday is the mercy of God. Should He not see fit
to preserve us, we will destroy ourselves. The word for temptation
that is used here literally means a trial. Paul told the Corinthians
that there hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common
to man. But God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able. but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye
may be able to bear it. These trials may be simply the
heartaches and suffering that occurs to all men, or they may
be the result of the sin which doth so easily beset us. God
has ordained all things to occur in the lives of his children
for their benefit, even when it does not appear so at the
time. Our mind goes to Joseph. The Lord saw fit to direct the
steps of his brethren to sell him into slavery, that it might
ultimately fall out to the good of his family and fulfill God's
purpose. Those trials often include our own sin. The Lord is sometimes
pleased to remove His restraints from us, which is the only thing
that keeps us from destroying ourselves, that we might be chastened
by our own sin, even as He did with David, in order to acquaint
David with the utter depravity of his own heart, which He confesses
in Psalm 51. So we might say that on the one
hand, if the Lord was saying we should pray that the Lord
would not lead us into trials of any sort, we would be sometimes
praying against the will of God, who has designed these trials
for our benefit. Therefore, it seems to be quite
clear that what He is instructing us to pray for is a deliverance
from the destructive power of those temptations or trials.
For he goes on to say, but deliver us from evil, or from the power
of evil to destroy us. Let us not be overcome with evil,
or become the total slave thereto. Even as Paul reminded the Corinthians,
he will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye
may be able to bear it. This is why David can now say
in the Psalms, I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and
my fortress, my God, in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver
thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings
shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield
and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day,
nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not
come nigh thee. Have you known the Lord's deliverance?