Please, No Trials!

Teach Us to Pray sermon series

There’s an old story told about a man who loses his composure and curses in front of his pastor. After an embarrassed silence, he looks sheepishly at the pastor and says,

“Oh, it’s all right pastor. I cuss a little and you pray a little, but neither one of us means anything by it.”

That is serious question - do we mean something by it? Do we mean something by our prayers, our faith?

Dallas Willard says that the challenge to our faith is to mean something by our talk of it. And includes when we talk to God.

I hope this series is changing the way you pray, that we are taking seriously that it is Jesus who is teaching us to pray here…and we know he meant something by his talk, and especially of his prayer.

I hope this series has opened up Lord’s Prayer to you, really as gateway into prayer. Taking each line, as you pray it, paraphrase it into language that is helping you to mean something by it. And each line becomes a springboard to pray that request out...

That Jesus, through this prayer, is teaching you to come before God as your Father, trusting that he truly is right here, always, with you. Dear Father, always near us...

That we’re learning more and more that our first concern should be glory of God, desiring...

that his name would be treasured and loved by all (that can become time of praising him)

desiring, too, that his rule would be complete over everyone and everything…Let your kingdom come, Father, everything here on earth just like it is there in heaven…can you imagine praying that while you are watching news?!?

That we’re learning more and more to come to our Father in humble dependence on his grace

Every single day for the basic necessities of life - Father, I know you’re going to give me exactly what I need for this day. I’m going to let all worry go by wayside.

And not just for our physical needs, but our spiritual ones as well…Father, forgive me my debts. Help me to forgive those who wrong me in some way…I’ve been practicing this as breathing prayer…breathing in grace and breathing out grace

Finally, today, we’re looking to Jesus to teach us to humbly depend on God’s grace to help us in our weakness. Or, as Dallas Willard says, an acknowledgement of our feebleness of human beings.

Prayer / Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Matthew 6:13

Testing

Things have changed some now, but when I went to college, in most of the classes, the professors didn’t take attendance, they didn’t care if you were there or not.

I think the general sentiment was, you’re adult now, you’re paying for this, it’s your responsibility to show up and do work (though some of it might have had to do with fact that I had some very large classes at UT).

In my first year there, I lived in Jester East, 3rd floor, and I remember there were a couple of guys who were very much enjoying that freedom - took full advantage of it - rarely went to class.

One of them went so infrequently that on one day he managed to go, he didn’t even know there was test scheduled for that day. He was not prepared. He did not do well. And he did not last long as a student at the University of Texas.

Whole idea of test is reveal something about person taking test - at college it’s to see if you’ve mastered the material, you know it.

In healthcare, “tests” are run to try to determine the status of your health, reveals physical health

Years ago, when I lived in Houston, I read story that had to do with suspicions a woman might have about her husband cheating on her. But instead of hiring a private investigator to follow the husband around and see if they could catch him in the act, this outfit offered fidelity test - they employed attractive women would flirt with married man to see if they would take bait. Apparently there was one woman who had 100% success rate.

I begin with idea of testing because that’s what I want you to have in mind as we look at fifth request of the Lord’s Prayer, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Jesus is teaching us here about humble dependence on God’s grace for us in the midst of our weakness.

There’s some debate about best way to translate what Jesus said here, and therefore, exactly what Jesus is saying.

Some say it should be understood as it’s typically translated, temptation, asking God not to lead us to be tempted by sin.

But another way this word can be translated is in sense of trials, or testing.

And we learn in James 1 that we can never claim that we are being tempted by God. Verse 13 says, “for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

Since God never leads us into temptation, why would we need to pray for something God would never do?

Dallas Willard translates prayer this way: “Please don’t put us through trials (or tests), but deliver us from everything bad.”

As we make our way through sermon, I hope you’ll see exactly why Jesus is teaching us, that this request is really bigger and broader as far as what we’re asking our Father for.

that in this prayer we learn two things as we ask God not to lead us into testing - one, we learn to humbly recognize our own weakness.

And, two, we learn to humbly depend on God’s grace and strength to get us through trials of life.

Our Weakness

Throughout the Bible we see God testing his people. Remember, test reveals something about us. Most often, tests God puts before his people are opportunities to test faith, do they trust God, will they obey him - do as he commands? (by the way, if you haven’t had a chance to watch the Bible Project video I posted on our Facebook page called “The Test” - do it, it’s good).

Some of the tests we see God give his people seem fairly simple, not as challenging

Adam and Eve only had to avoid eating one fruit from one tree in the garden. They failed.

Lot’s family, as they escaped, all they had to do was not look back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife failed test, turned into pillar of salt.

Now, Abraham and Sarah had much more difficult tests, some of which they passed with flying colors.

God called them to uproot their family and move to “land I will show you”. And they did!

They didn’t do so well when it came to enduring the trial of waiting for God to gift them with son - so Sarah gave her maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham so she could bear a son for him.

But one of the most remarkable tests occured after God finally gifted Abraham and Sarah with their long-promised son, Isaac. When you read story in Genesis 22, it comes right out and tells us that this was a test: “and some time later, God tested Abraham.” And it was about most challenging test you could imagine: God tested Abraham by commanding him to take his son and sacrifice him to the Lord.

Amazingly, Abraham trusted that if he did this, God would raise Isaac from dead. And so he went to sacrifice Isaac, and at the last moment, God stopped him (Abraham passed!)

We could cite example after example…God with Moses, Israelites in wilderness, Israelites again as they made their way into Promised Land, story of Gideon…and on and on.

There are beautiful examples of God’s people enduring trials and demonstrating great faith. But more often than not, stories of Bible reveal failed faith. Big red “F” on top of test sheet.

Rich young ruler who wanted to know how to gain eternal life. He obeyed all commandments - but when Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor and follow him…he failed that test.

Disciples are a prime example. In spite of all their bravado, when Jesus is arrested and taken to trial, they fail their own trials. They scatter.

Honestly, it’s hard to blame them. They were facing evil. Much of the priestly system, Jewish leadership, was corrupt. Everything they were doing to Jesus was terribly unjust. They had the power and they were abusing it. And that’s what Peter, a simple Galilean fisherman, was facing when he failed his test by denying that he knew Jesus three times in a row.

This is why Jesus teaches us to pray this request. Lead us not into trials, save us from evil. Don’t test us.

Jesus is teaching us to humbly recognize our weakness. That we are much more like early disciples than not.

Trials are always temptations to sin. And temptation to sin is always a trial.

And as Dallas Willard says, praying this prayer may seem as if we are trying to avoid pain and suffering. But he says, this prayer “expresses the understanding that we can’t stand up under very much pressure, and that it is not a good thing for us to suffer. It is a vote of no confidence in our own abilities.”

We come to God in humble recognition that we are weak, our faith is feeble. That’s what Jesus wants us to learn.

Those first disciples had to learn this…James and John asked to be seated at Jesus’ left and right when he came into glory, they wanted those positions of honor.

Jesus’ response is, you don’t know what you’re asking? Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with baptism I am baptized with? - in other words, Jesus was asking them if they would be able to endure the kind of suffering he was about to undergo?

Naively, they say, of course we can. But they scattered.

Jesus told disciples that they would all abandon him…Peter declared I’ll never do it! Even if I have to die. He did it. Father, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. I’m weak.

In contrast, we see Jesus’ own humble approach…when he and disciples are in Garden of Gethsemane, right before Jesus is arrested, Jesus warns them “to watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but flesh is weak.”

I know you have good intentions, but you are weak.

But notice how Jesus begins his prayer…”Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” Think about that for moment. Jesus was praying to Father, I don’t know if I can bear this. If there’s another way for this to happen, take this away from me. Let me out of this. I’m willing to take it on, if you that’s really what you want me to do, but it seems far too great a trial.

Same thing with Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12, who had to endure some great difficulty, some trial or trouble that he simply describes as thorn in flesh (which we might describe as a pain in the … side).

What does Paul do? He pleads with God to take it away. Three times he begged God to remove whatever it was that was tormenting him.

Exactly how Jesus prayed. Lord, if it’s possible, take it away. I don’t know if I can bear this.

Paul knew his weaknesses. And so he asked God to take this test away from him. That’s why Jesus teaches us to pray that we not be lead into trials. That we be delivered from any bad things happening to us.

We pray this because we trust that God will really do this for us (we mean something by it). That he really will lead us from trials. That he will deliver us from bad things that might happen to us.

Mean what we say! God, in his grace, recognizes our weakness - and in his goodness, will lead us from trials and keep bad things from happening to us

Because these do challenge our faith, they are temptations to sin. And we are weak.

Many people have fallen from faith in Christ because of suffering. They couldn’t see and trust goodness of God anymore. That’s such tragedy - One who could help most, who can redeem any situation, bring healing to any woundedness, turn sorrow into joy - they turn away from.

C.S. Lewis describes his journey through grief over the death of his wife, Joy Davidman, in his book, A Grief Observed.

He realizes at one point that his suffering was stirring in him doubts about God, not so much whether God existed, but what kind of God he was! He was doubting God’s goodness and faithfulness.

He realized, too, that he had never questioned this about God before - even though he knew suffering existed, he could see it all around him. But it wasn’t his suffering.

It was only when he was enduring trials and difficulties, when he was suffering, that doubts began to sweep over him. He realized how weak he was, how feeble his faith was, describing it as a “house of cards”…one simply flick, and the whole thing tumbled down.

So, that’s first thing: we are feeble. That’s why Jesus teaches us to pray, Lord, keep trials away! Save us from bad things that might happen to us.

God’s strength

But, obviously, bad things do happen to us. No one escapes pain or difficulty.

In teaching us this prayer, Jesus is teaching us to humbly recognize our weakness.

But he’s also teaching us something else: That we can depend on his grace. We can depend on his power. We can depend on his strength to get us through whatever trial we are enduring

Paul’s great lesson from Jesus, what Jesus told him clearly as he was enduring thorn in his flesh was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul prayed to God, you know I’m weak, Lord. I don’t know if I can bear this trial. Take thorn away!

But God didn’t take it away. He allowed pain to continue, thorn to inflict. His word to Paul was, trust me in this. I am enough for you. I will get you through this. I am working in the midst of this. You may not understand, but I have you.

Paul learned that God had something different, something better for him…and central to what God had for Paul was a deeper trusting in God’s perfect power in midst of his weakness. That’s why Paul could proclaim with great confidence: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

He learned the sufficiency of God’s grace. It is enough. We don’t need anything else. For when we are weak, then we are strong.

We can trust that 1 Corinthians 10:13 is really true: “No temptation (or testing) has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted (tested) beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted (or tested), he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

This all comes from fact that we’ve asked God not to lead us into trial and to deliver us from evil things. And we trust that God does exactly that. That he really leads us away from trials. That he really does deliver us from bad things.

And therefore, any trial or testing we do find ourselves in, God will provide a way out. We will be able to withstand it. Endure it. And God will use it for his purposes.

Those reasons may be hard to see or discern, but because we trust Father, we can trust this is true.

The other day, I had chance to talk with neighbor of mine, one I hardly know. His name is Terry, and he’s had rough couple of years.

He had just gotten through prostrate cancer and then he got diagnosed with rare type of cancer, kind that other doctors come to see him about because it’s so rare. Unfortunately, not just rare, but quite serious. He’s been living for last months unsure of how much longer he might live.

And incredibly weak as a result of chemo treatments.

As a family, we’ve been doing their lawn care for them, and he came out to back patio to say hello. We got to talking - first thing he showed me was that he was able to walk with cane - hadn’t been able to do even that for months.

Terry is Christian, and we talked about how this affected his faith...

very real struggle at first, coming to grips with this trial he was enduring. He found doubts creeping up inside of him (because that’s exactly what happens with testing).

But day by day, he began to trust, that no matter what, he was in God’s hands. That God could and would get him through this (even if that meant his death). And he began to see opportunities for ministry, to show forth faith in midst of great trial.

To be honest, this part of the Lord’s Prayer has typically been more of an afterthought for me - I was much more focused on early requests (thy kingdom come, give us this day our daily bread). I just never thought that this one really applied as much to my life.

It’s been much more recently that I’ve found myself praying this in a way that I really mean it!

More I’ve sought to engage in centering my life in Jesus, seeking first Kingdom, ordering my life around spiritual disciplines…more I’ve realized how weak I truly am. That I really am feeble (and that’s not just because I’m getting older).

That I’m much more like C.S. Lewis, and my faith feels like house of cards. One flick...

Jesus has been teaching me humble recognition of my weaknesses. but just as important, he’s been teaching me humble dependence on his strength...

I hope that’s true for you…that you are learning from Jesus how to pray, how to be with Father.

Closing Prayer…Let’s pray as through we really mean something by it…Dear Father...