Matthew 4:1-11
While attending a Christian conference for nonprofit leaders in Florida, I received an unexpected phone call. A vice president from the company where I had spent 25 years in the corporate world offered me a lucrative opportunity to return in a new exciting leadership role. After choosing ministry/nonprofit work over a much higher salary, I have to admit the offer was still genuinely tempting - despite knowing how I had allowed money, status and power to creep into my life in those earlier years.
In today's Gospel, Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness where he is tempted by evil. Unlike me, Jesus never wavers. Grounded in God's Word, he resists every temptation and remains faithful to God's mission. Nothing like my wishy-washy reaction to that temptation in Florida.
That experience also changed the way I pray the Lord's Prayer. In The Lord's Prayer: The Meaning and Power of the Prayer Jesus Taught, pastor Adam Hamilton suggests placing a mental comma, with a pause, after the words, "Lead us..." instead of "Lead us not into temptation…” God wouldn’t lead us into temptation so why would we ask God not to? We lead ourselves into temptation when we don’t follow God with our whole heart. That simple pause reminds me when I pick back up with “not into temptation” that it’s on me to lean on God.
Temptation comes in many forms: success, control, comfort, or fear. We won't always respond perfectly, but the good news is that we don't face temptation alone. God is faithful, leading us with grace, mercy, and strength every step of the way, wherever we are. Traveling mercies.
Questions for Reflection:
- What tempting voices are calling you today that could be better answered by turning to God?
Prayer:
Merciful God, lead me in your ways, and strengthen me when I am tempted to follow another path. Thank you for your steadfast mercy that never leaves me to face life's wilderness alone. Amen.
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