Rings, Wrinkles, and Gray Hair
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
Rings, wrinkles, and grey hair – what do these three have in common? They all tell a story. Wrinkles in our faces allude to years of squinting in the blistering sun, to years of great sorrow, and to years of deeper joy. Every patch of grey hair is indicative of a well-worn path. Do you have some of those? Some of these years were beyond our control, others were years of our own making in our succumbing to temptation.
But what is temptation? Temptation is anything that excites us to evil. Too often, temptation strikes us as water on a grease fire. There is a great evil in our heart, a traitor in our camp who tempts us. There are many seeds in our flower beds that are just waiting to be tilled. Besides the evil within us, there is an evil around us. As a recovering Baptist, I grew up hearing, “Don’t drink, don’t smoke, and don’t go with girls that do!” We often think that of temptation in terms of the scandalous; however, a multitude of men have been excited to much evil through long hours at the office and the love of sports. If God is our chief good, then anything that leads us away from Him is evil. Period. To further the point, there is an Evil One who tempts us. Satan often dresses temptation as men dress hooks, putting juicy worms on sharp hooks to catch unsuspecting fish. He tells you of the great bargain but hides the fine print. In a moment, we spend a lifetime chasing forbidden things because we swallowed down a simple, forbidden fruit.
Upon reading that, you may think, “My goose is cooked!” But what is interesting is that Jesus says “lead” – not shove, not prod, not hurl, but lead. Jesus knows full well the power of temptation, for He withstood all of its power. He is fit to lead us (and for good reasons). He leads us through temptation to expose our weaknesses. I always feel strong when helping someone move a couch, until they drop their end. Suddenly, I realize how much I need them. Isn’t this how He humbles us? A little girl terrified the brave and boisterous Peter, so do not be surprised if a little temptation drives us to our knees and to our Savior.
More than anything, Jesus leads us through temptation to hone our weapons. Samuel Rutherford once said, “The devil is God’s master fencer to teach us how to use our weapon.” Satan may be a ferocious opponent, but our Savior will strengthen us to stand and restore us when we fall. Reader, do you know the power of temptation? If so, pray that the Lord would lead you not into temptation. If you find yourself there, pray that the Lord would lead you.
