Lead Us Not Into Temptation (2026)
One
The Strangeness of the Prayer
Probably the strangest part of the Our Father is when Jesus instructs us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” What can that possibly mean? Why would we ask God not to lead us into temptation?
Satan is the tempter; God is not. And yet there must be some sense in which God can lead us into a test, and some sense in which it makes sense for us to ask Him not to.
Two
God Does Not Tempt Us, but He Allows Us to Be Tested
St. James reassures us that God does not tempt us, “God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). God will never entice us to sin because God does not want us to sin. But the biblical word for “temptation” can also mean “trial” or “testing.” God never tempts us to do evil, but He does allow us to be tested.
If you are never tested, how can anyone know your competence or character? In fact, how can you know your own character? The truth is, you can’t. The Book of Sirach says, “He who has not been tried, what does he know?” (Sirach 34:11).
God must allow us to be tested. Otherwise, how can we prove that we will choose goodness over evil and love over selfishness? God does not need the test to discover who we are; He already knows us completely. But we need the test so that we can discover who we are, grow in virtue, and freely demonstrate our love for God.
Three
Accept the Tests God Sends
It is common for parents to hire a coach to prepare their child for a college entrance exam. The coach finds the areas where the student needs to improve and assigns exercises and smaller tests to prepare the student for the big test. God is doing something similar with us throughout our lives. The decisive test will come at the end of our lives.
Every day, God sends or allows smaller tests that help us grow in virtue and love. God is the supreme coach. He knows exactly what we can handle. St. Paul writes, “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The key is to accept the tests God sends or allows each day. If God has sent you a trial, a test, a temptation, it’s because He’s decided that you can handle it. So don’t say, “I can’t handle this.” Trust God, receive His grace, and tackle today’s test.
But do not go looking for temptation. Do not throw yourself into tests and temptations God did not choose for you. If God has not sent you that test, it may be because He knows you can’t handle it. Temptation can arise from suffering, but it can also arise from prosperity. If God hasn’t sent you suffering, it’s probably because He knows you can’t handle the temptation to discouragement and despair, or the temptation to escape from your suffering by immoral means.
And if God hasn’t sent you prosperity, it’s probably because He knows you can’t handle the temptation to pride and worldliness and complacency and sloth. Trust God’s timing. Accept the tests He sends and ask Him to keep you out of the temptations He does not want for you.
Four
Knowing Our Weakness
This is the heart of the petition: “Lead us not into temptation.” We are saying: “Father, help us accept the tests You send or allow, but do not let us throw ourselves into temptations and tests You did not want for us and that we cannot handle.”
Peter was confident that he was ready to suffer and die with Jesus. But he was not ready. Jesus warned Peter and the other apostles, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation,” and, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40; Mark 14:38).
Peter trusted his own assessment of his strength, and he fell. St. Paul warns, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). As Raïssa Maritain expressed it, “Lead us not into temptation” is the prayer of a weak person who prays not to be weak today.
When an unavoidable temptation comes, we trust the Lord. At the same time, we avoid placing ourselves in near occasions of sin.
Five
Resolution
When we pray “Lead us not into temptation”, we ask God for the grace to do two things: accept the tests He sends and ask Him to keep us out of the temptations He does not want for us.
God is the perfect coach who sends us the exercises and tests to help us grow in virtue and love, preparing us for the decisive test at the end of our lives. But we must faithfully complete the smaller tests He sends or allows each day. Okay, let’s make the resolution embody both halves of the meditation: To accept one test God has allowed and remove one temptation He doesn’t want.
Today, when you encounter one difficult situation God has allowed, say, “Father, I accept this test and trust You to help me through it.” Then identify one near occasion of sin you habitually place yourself in and take one concrete step to avoid it today.
Ask yourself, did I accept the test God allowed today, and did I avoid placing myself in temptation?