March Prayer

Monday March 6 2023

A Lenten Prayer based on Jesus' temptation in the wilderness

‘And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from the evil one.’
This is our Lenten prayer
A cry at every crossroads
‘Christ, lead us the way you would walk.’
A wary recognition that an enemy stalks
That we need your grace to choose the right path
And we need it yet more when we choose the wrong one.

You refused to turn stones to bread.
Jesus, keep us safe from believing
That if only we had our fill of this or that
We would truly live.
‘Man does not live on bread alone
But on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
Let your word be our daily satisfaction
Fill us full each time we choose
To hear God.

You refused to take the devil’s dare,
You would not jump for a proof text.
Jesus, keep us safe from believing
That God should be tested
Before He is trusted.
When crossroads lead to unknown places
May our confidence be in your faultless faithfulness
On roads already travelled
May it be enough for us
To trust God.

You refused to bow the knee to Satan
For the promise of an easier glory.
Jesus, keep us safe from believing
In counterfeit kingdoms
In empires that belong to us
In allowable compromises of devotion or ethics.
When the accuser spins fantasies
Of the comfortable and shiny
Let what you shouted loud and clear
Ring true in every faithful ear
‘Away from me, Satan!’
Let our lives and choices truly display
A heart exclusively devoted
To worship God.

Weak and needy we falter
We do not live out your perfection
But defiantly we choose against temptation
Lead us not that way, but the other
We hope in your grace at the cross that tells us:
We live in your perfection.
Help us, Lord Jesus.
In your name, Amen

Based on Matthew 4:1-11