Word of Encouragement (3/26/2021)

Today, let’s deal with the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “...and deliver us from evil.”

This petition makes perfect sense: there is much evil in this fallen world. There are unexpected and somewhat expected natural disasters that bring much and sudden destruction to communities and all the people in them indiscriminately. There are many social/systemic evils—all kinds of discrimination and violence against those, who do not belong to a particular group. And many individual evils are committed among people—from horrible crimes like murder and rape to the hurtful and cruel things we say and do against one another out of jealousy, hatred, and unprovoked malice. There are mass shootings and there are tragic accidents due to our and other people’s negligence. We may be a victim of horrific evil simply because we are at the wrong place at the wrong time. This should humble us to pray, “Deliver us from evil!”

But there is a nagging sense that we cannot quite shake off—that, as long as we live in this fallen world, we cannot escape from all evil even if we pray this prayer at all times. There is no doubt that God spares us from many evils as we pray this prayer: “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). But He does not keep away all evils. While we live in this world, which is not heaven, God’s main purpose is to help us endure and overcome the evils of the world, not completely remove them from us. That’s because He can use them to grow us in our faith and advance His kingdom to the ends of the earth. One way, in which He grows our faith, is to wean us from this world of change and decay and increase our longing for our eternal life with God in heaven.

This petition, then, is not just for God’s protection from the “small” evils in the world; it is ultimately for our deliverance from all evils for all eternity. This will happen on the Final Day when His name is hallowed and His kingdom comes in glory and His will is fully realized on earth as it is in heaven. On that day, God will punish all wickedness with His perfect justice and almighty power. He will remove all evil as He ushered in a new heaven and a new earth. He will vindicate His people in Jesus Christ and recompense all their sufferings for Christ. They will enter into the new heaven and the new earth, into the new Jerusalem, to dwell with God forever. God “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore…” (Rev. 21:4). There in heaven, all will be peace and joy and love forever, full of goodness, truth, and beauty.

When the Day of the Lord comes, we shall finally be free—completely!—from sin and all evil. This is a hope worth living for, worth holding on to through all the ups and downs of life. May we be diligent to pray, “Deliver us from evil,” not only for this life but also for the life to come!