Deliver Us from Evil
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12
With the request “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13), we implore God to keep us safe from the powers of evil. Some of our English translations describe this also as protection from “the evil one”—that is, Satan, or the devil.
Certainly “evil” and “the evil one” both threaten to undo us. As the book of Ephesians points out, the dark forces on earth and the evil powers in the spiritual realms are lined up against us.
In another passage, the Bible also warns that our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We live in a world filled with terrifying enemies.
We should be just as horrified, though, by the evil that lurks in our own hearts, twisting us with greed, lust, envy, pride, deceit, and more.
In the face of our adversaries and of the sinfulness deep in our hearts, we can’t help crying out to God, “Deliver us from evil!”
And we can trust in God to help. By his Holy Spirit, we can be strong “in his mighty power” and be equipped with the spiritual battle gear we need to stand firm and to serve God with confidence.
Father, on our own we are weak and helpless. Deliver us from evil, we pray, and provide us with the faith and assurance we need to serve you boldly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
