“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17

Prayer of the Day: Almighty and merciful Father, preserve us from every evil of body and soul. When trouble enters our lives, work it for our eternal good, keep us steadfast in faith, and finally deliver us from this vale of tears to Yourself in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior from all evil, dear fellow redeemed:

“The world is very evil, the times are waxing late; Be sober and keep vigil, the Judge is at the gate; The Judge that comes in mercy, the Judge that comes with might, To terminate the evil, to diadem the right.” (The Lutheran Hymnal 605:1)

Those words certainly reflect the reality of our day, even though they were written over eight hundred years ago. A casual review of recent news stories confirms the fact that we live in an evil world.

Jesus was certainly justified in including within His Lord’s Prayer a petition dealing with evil and our deliverance from it. You perhaps noted that when I read our text from Matthew’s Gospel, it was translated, “Deliver us from the evil one,” rather than simply, “Deliver us from evil,” which is the more familiar wording of the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew’s wording in the original language can be translated accurately by either expression. This morning, as we consider this Seventh Petition, we will use the more familiar translation as our theme: O LORD, DELIVER US FROM EVIL!

I.

Yes, deliver us from evil as You have delivered Your children in the past! Martin Luther explained this Seventh Petition in the following way: “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil to body and soul, property and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a joyful end and take us in grace from this valley of sorrows to Himself in heaven.” Our heavenly Father has done just that for countless believers down through the ages. He has always done one of three things: He has either prevented evil from entering their lives, caused evil that has entered their lives to work together for their good, or used evil to deliver them into eternal glory! This morning, I intend to use the life of St. Paul as our example of all three ways in which God delivered him from evil—an example that we can aptly apply to each of our lives!

In Acts 18, we are told that Paul entered Corinth and preached there for eighteen months, despite tremendous opposition on the part of the unbelieving Jews living there. Early in his stay in Corinth, Paul was granted a vision in which God urged him to speak His truths boldly and without fear, for He would be with him. Shortly thereafter, we are told that the Jews “rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat” (Acts 18:12). But an amazing thing then happened. The Roman proconsul before whom the Jews brought Paul threw the case out of court. He refused to be part of a religious dispute between what he considered to be two Jewish factions. God used this man’s understanding of Roman law and sense of justice to prevent evil from entering Paul’s life.

Later in Paul’s life, he endured house arrest in Rome while awaiting a trial, the outcome of which could very easily have resulted in his execution. Yet, during this evil time, God was working things out for good, both for Paul and for others. Paul informed his fellow believers in Philippi: “I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ, and most of the brethren in the Lord, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Phil. 1:12-14). In this instance, God permitted evil to enter Paul’s life but then worked that evil out for good!

Finally, it is a matter of historical record that Paul was executed in Rome for his faith. He was imprisoned a second time in Rome, this time, according to tradition, in a dungeon carved out of the rock near one end of the Roman Forum. As he awaited his trial and ultimate execution, Paul wrote his Second Letter to Timothy. In that letter he stated: “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8). To all outward appearances, the Roman officials had their way with Paul when he was led to the block and beheaded. But for Paul, this evil was simply God’s means of delivering him into the glories of heaven. Those Roman officials ultimately stood before the Judge of heaven and earth to answer for their unjust actions, while their kingdom would eventually lie in ruins. Paul’s soul, however, now rejoices and will forever rejoice in the presence of God. His soul will, without fail, be reunited with his body in the new heavens and the new earth, even as his Savior promised. O LORD, DELIVER US FROM EVIL as You have delivered Your children in the past!

II.

Yes, O LORD, DELIVER US FROM EVIL as You have promised Your children in the present! Despite the evil nature of our age, we can proceed with confidence as God’s children. He has promised: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). He encourages us: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Ps. 50:15). He has informed us that He “who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Just as God delivered His saints of old from evil, so He does and will deliver you and me from evil!

I would imagine that most, if not all, of us can remember near accidents in our lives—situations in which people are accustomed to saying things like, “Wow, you sure were lucky!” Yet good luck is simply superstition. God, who promises to “give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Ps. 91:11), does just that—He keeps you in all your ways. He protects you from many dangers, some of which you are aware of and many of which you are not.

There are times, however, when the LORD permits evil to affect us in our lives. When that happens, we can be confident that He will work it out for our good. In each such situation, God is preparing us for something in our future. I recall counseling a young Christian woman some years ago whose husband had proven unfaithful to her and had left her. She was devastated and could not understand how the LORD would allow such a thing to happen in her life. I encouraged her to entrust herself to the LORD and to remain close to Him through active service in her local congregation. Less than a year later, her very best friend went through a similar situation—her marriage, too, fell apart because of her husband’s unfaithfulness. That young woman, however, was separated from her family and her home congregation by thousands of miles. The first young woman became a lifeline—spiritually and emotionally—for her friend during that most difficult period. God can and does make even evil work out for our good and for the good of others.

III.

Finally, let us remember that our futures as God’s children are not tied to this world but rather to eternal life in heaven. Given that truth, death—the worst of all evils—becomes the means used by God to provide the ultimate deliverance from evil. This is true because, by Jesus’ death, your sin has been forgiven and heaven has been opened to you. As 1 Corinthians 15 says: “‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 55-57).

Having said that, let us realize that our lives are in God’s hands. We ought to do nothing ourselves to hasten or end our lives. Rather, we are to entrust our lives to Him, knowing that He will provide for our every need and lead us on every path we are to go. At the same time, we can recognize that God may use evil to deliver us finally to Himself in heaven. All of us can think of individuals who have died from the evil of cancer, a heart attack, or some other disease, but who, as God’s children, have thereby been delivered out of this vale of tears and into God’s glorious presence in heaven. Therefore, let us always be ready to pray with confidence: O LORD, DELIVER US FROM EVIL as You have promised Your children! Amen.

—Pastor Em. Paul Nolting

Mankato, MN

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