And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:13 (CSB)
This is the last request in the Lord’s Prayer. It’s a request for protection.
“Temptation” means two things in the Bible: a hard test, or a pull toward doing wrong. God sometimes allows hard tests. But God never pulls us toward sin. The Bible says that directly (James 1:13). So this prayer isn’t accusing God. It’s admitting something about us. We’re weaker than we think. So we ask Him to keep us away from what would break us.
Then the prayer names an enemy. “The evil one” is Satan. He’s real, and he’s against us. That could sound scary. But Jesus already faced him and won (Matthew 4). And Jesus prayed this exact prayer for us: “keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). He’s still praying for His people now.
So we pray this in the morning, before the day starts. “Father, keep me from what would break me today.” Then we act on our own prayer. If we know something always pulls us down, we don’t walk toward it. We ask, then we pick the safer path.
We’re not strong. He is. The cross proved He fights for us and wins.