“Deliver Us From Evil”
1. “Deliver us from evil. Amen.” This is our last request in the Lord’s Prayer. God is our Father, Creator, and Redeemer, Who cannot desire our ruin, but only our welfare. Nevertheless, He wishes us to ask Him every day to deliver us from evil.
We ask God to deliver us from evil of any kind. There is nothing to prevent us from beseeching Him to save us from physical ills, such as sickness or hardship or any of the other many afflictions of life. God loves us and therefore does not wish us to have to suffer. He loves us, however, as He knows best, and so desires our true welfare. He knows that suffering and sorrow are our necessary heritage in life. They are the salt which preserves us from corruption.
It would be fatal for us to be always happy in this world, for then we should forget God and our true everlasting happiness. By all means let us ask humbly for deliverance from bodily ills, but let us not complain if God does not grant our request. He alone knows what is best for us now and in the future.
Finally, when we ask God to rescue us from material evils, we should do so in a spirit of submission and resignation to His holy will. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We should keep in mind the words of Jesus Christ. “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Where are we to follow Him? To Calvary, of course. We must suffer and die as He did. Only afterwards can we achieve everlasting happiness.
Deliver us from evil, therefore, O God. Deliver us if possible from bodily and from earthly ills, but let Your will be done. We realise that there is a purpose in suffering, the mission of which is to purify us and lead us more easily to You. We shall thank You if You hear our plea, but we shall be no less grateful if it pleases You to reject it.
2. When we ask God to deliver us from evil, we should think chiefly of the real evil, which is spiritual. All other evils are insignificant in comparison with sin, which is an offense committed against God , our only good. Sin robs us of His grace, which is the supernatural life of the soul, deprives us of His friendship, and is an act of ingratitude towards our supreme Benefactor.
When we pray to God to deliver us from evil, we should renew our determination to avoid sin by every means in our power. Prayer is futile unless it is accompanied by the resolution never to offend God again. Our prayers and good resolutions will draw God’s favour and will strengthen our bond of intimacy with Him.
3. Deliver us, O God, from the evil of the eternal damnation. Sin is the greatest evil, but as long as we are on earth it is an evil which can still be remedied, for God in His infinite mercy is always ready to forgive us and to restore us to His divine friendship if we sincerely repent. In Hell, however, there is no further remedy, for there the mercy of God has been superseded by His infinite justice. Where the tree falls, there it must lie forever. Such dreadful unhappiness is barely conceivable.
Deliver us from sin, O God; deliver us from a bad death; deliver us from Hell. Help us to love You more and more and to serve You more faithfully so that we may one day enjoy Your blessed company for all eternity. Amen.
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