By Steven Norris
It is virtually impossible to deny that we live in a world where evil exists. From time to time, events happen where that evil, for a time, gets a particular name and face. When Jesus teaches us to pray, “deliver us from evil,” I believe that he has in mind a four-layered approach that we might view as a series of concentric circles (a bullseye).
On the outer edge, I think that Jesus is talking about the most obvious evil — cosmic evil. Satan, the Devil, the serpent, the dragon, the enemy (whatever you want to call him) is more than just a figment of our imagination or a leftover superstition from the first century. There is a force that is fixated on dividing, destroying, and desecrating God’s well-ordered creation. Praying for God to “deliver” might also be translated as “snatch away” or “rescue.” We are saying, “I cannot do this on my own. Call in backup. Send in the cavalry. God, rescue us from these cosmic powers.”
The second circle of evil can be seen on a societal level. The book of Ephesians teaches us that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the structures, principalities, and powers of this world (see Ephesians 6:11-12). Unfortunately, we often don’t have the capacity or language in our society to talk about corporate sins or corporate evil. Therefore, we use “isms” to describe it — racism, sexism, classism, consumerism, hedonism — anything that helps us divide groups into an “us” vs. “them.” We see this in a culture obsessed with war, death, sex, greed, money, technology, and vice. The values that often guide these industries are deeply at odds with the values of Jesus and his kingdom. Ephesians teaches us (corporately) to put on the armor of God against these things.
Systems, however, are made up of individuals. Therefore, evil can be seen in individual acts of harm or violence towards one another — murder, rape, abuse, assault, neglect, slander, gossip, ignoring the hungry, adultery, theft. Individually, Jesus teaches that you and I have the ability to overcome personal evil by choosing how we respond — turn the other cheek, give up your tunic, go the second mile (see Matthew 5:38-41). The book of Romans teaches, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Finally, to pray for deliverance from evil forces us to get to the real heart of the problem — ourselves. Immediately after the flood, God says, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). Paul says, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Romans 718ff). For this reason, our prayer for deliverance must start, “God, deliver me from the evil in my heart. Forgive the sin that eats away at my life.” Deliverance starts at home.
To pray for God’s deliverance is to recognize that we are not alone. We have the resources of heaven at our disposal and a Savior who said, “It is finished.” To pray as Jesus taught is to respond to his invitation to certain victory. Thanks be to God!