Day Seven: ‘Lead us not into temptation…’ (Matthew 6, verse 13a) Readings: Genesis 39:1-23; Matthew 4:1-10 Today we are tackling a very important spiritual aspect of our needs, prayer for our spiritual protection.  As human beings, we daily face various situations of trials and temptations which are sometimes very hard.  The children of God are not exempt.  The Word of God has many examples of this.  Our forebears, Adam and Eve, were tempted in the garden of Eden.  The young Joseph in Egypt was tempted several times by the wife of his master, Potiphar.  Job, whom our Father described as ‘blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.’ (Job 1:1), physically suffered terrible trials at the hands of the Devil.  Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God incarnate, was tempted by the Devil in the desert for forty days. We are surrounded by situations which expose us to temptation.  We may wonder why our Father in heaven allows His children to face such circumstances and why some of them end up falling into temptation.  Let’s remember that our Father in heaven does not tempt anyone Himself (James 1:13). Nevertheless, He does allow His children to go through tests and trials which are often very difficult, as we have seen in the examples above.  Many times, these temptations come to us when we are alone and very vulnerable.  Joseph in the Old Testament is a good example of this.  He was tempted when he had been left alone to work in the house, while other workers had been sent elsewhere on other tasks.  It was a carefully calculated strategy to trap him, by his master’s wife.  She wanted him in her bed, whatever the cost.  The Devil is cunning.  He knows how to set his trap and catch his prey.  Joseph, a handsome young man in build and appearance, was faced with this trap.  And Jesus Christ, also very vulnerable after forty days of fasting, went through temptations aimed at his needs of the flesh, the eyes and his pride.  The same question arises: why does God allow His dear children to be tempted?  God, in permitting such experiences in the lives of His children, has a very good reason (James 1:2-3).   This does not mean that God is absent and inactive.  He is Omnipresent, He is also Omniscient.  Nothing escapes His attention.  Moreover, He is greater than any circumstances.  He has promised that He will not permit us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we pray ‘Lead us not into temptation’ we simply recognise our own weakness and our vulnerability and we affirm our total dependence on Him for our preservation from any sin when we are tempted. Verses of the day: When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)