Deliver Us From Evil
Deliver Us From Evil
Stop.
Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and put your hands over your heart. Say the last lines of the Lord’s Prayer: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen”. Repeat as often as you need.
Listen.
Ultimately such talk will lead to the point where we abbreviate the Lord’s Prayer and no longer pray, “deliver us from evil, Amen,” since we would have to stop praying to be saved from hell and stop seeking to escape it. It, too, is God’s punishment as is every kind of evil. Where would all this end? From what has been said we derive this guidance: We must pray against every form of evil and guard against it to the best of our ability in order not to act contrary to God, as was previously explained. If it be God’s will that evil come upon us and destroy us, none of our precautions will help us. – Martin Luther, “Whether One May Flee From A Deadly Plague”, 1527
Reflect.
Over a year ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, Christianity Today published the entirety of Martin Luther’s 1527 letter to Reverend Doctor Johann Hess and the church at Breslau, Germany. It might otherwise have seemed a strange thing to print in its totality, as it is a letter from Luther offering his guidance on whether Christians might be permitted to flee villages hit by the Bubonic Plague. Is such an exodus an act of faithful self-preservation, loveless abandonment of community, or pride-filled show of unnecessary strength?
The letter might have gained little attention in previous years. During a deadly global pandemic, however, it took on new light – enough that a prominent Christian magazine chose to simply print it in full.
To read Luther’s letter, you can visit: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/may-web-only/martin-luther-plague-pandemic-coronavirus-covid-flee-letter.html
The language is archaic but worth your time.
In May of 2020, when the article first ran, we were just a few months into a frightening, challenging, unprecedented time. In May of 2021, we were ready to put those feelings behind us. Effective vaccines, dropping hospitalizations, and reduced spread gave us all hope that considering our obligations as Christians during a plague might again fade into a brief historical footnote.
In August of 2021, we must ask the question anew. With the delta variant driving a surge in infections that again shuts down hospitals and threatens school openings, we must ask the question: what is our role as people of faith?
As part of his argument, Luther pointed to the words of the Lord’s Prayer. After all, we pray that God would deliver us from evil. If we’re not willing to likewise defend ourselves – and others – against evil, why even pray for it? Rather than assume we know God’s will and cast off all caution, can’t we use all gifts of health, safety, and health that God has given us? Is it possible that God’s response to our prayer to be delivered from evil is masks, vaccines, and the knowledge that keeping distance matters?
In our devotions this week, we’ll continue to consider Luther’s letter and let his 500-year-old words bring insight to our current faith and life. We’ll also continue to pray that God will deliver us from evil, as God always has.
Pray.
Your Son invited us to pray that you would deliver us from evil, God. Today, I ask that you would do just that. Show me what I can do to keep myself and my loved ones safe; but still more, to protect and defend all my neighbors who you so love. Amen.
Carry On.
Where have you experienced God’s protection from evil of any kind? In what form did that protection arrive? How can you remind yourself of God’s past action so you can have confidence in God’s future action?