|
THE LORD'S
(DISCIPLE'S) PRAYER
Links to the
Index Sentences |
|
Index #1 |
Our Father
Who is in heaven... |
|
Index #2 |
Your
Kingdom Come... |
|
Index #3 |
Your will
be done... |
|
Index #4 |
Give us
this day our daily bread... |
|
Index #5 |
Forgive us
our debts... |
|
Index
#6 |
Do not
lead us into temptation... |
|
Index
#7 |
For Yours
is the kingdom... |
INDEX
SENTENCE:
NUMBER SIX
AND DO NOT
LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION: kai me eisenegkes (2SAAS) hemas eis peirasmon: (Mt
26:41;
Genesis 22:1;
Deuteronomy 8:2,16;
Proverbs 30:8;
Luke 22:31-46;
1 Corinthians 10:13;
2 Corinthians 12:7-9;
Hebrews 11:36;
1 Peter 5:8;
2 Peter 2:9;
Revelation 2:10;
3:10)
Interesting resource from J R Miller
-
Matthew 6:13 Shrinking from
Temptation
Kenneth Wuest paraphrases the
sixth index sentence
this way...
Do not lead us into the place of
testing where a solicitation to do evil would tempt us to sin, but
deliver us from the Pernicious One
J C Ryle explains that this
sentence...
teaches us that we are liable at
all times to be led astray and to fall. It instructs us to confess our
infirmity and beseech God to hold us up, and not allow us to run into
sin. We ask Him, Who orders all things in heaven and earth, to restrain
us from going into that which would injure our souls, and never to let
us be tempted beyond what we can bear ("No temptation has overtaken
you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to
endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13)
J R Miller summarizes this
sentence as follows...
We put our hand into God’s in
the morning, and we ask him to lead us through the day. We know not what
experiences may come to us and we ask him not to bring us into sore
testings. The prayer is a request that in the doing of God’s will for
the day we may not be brought into places where it will be hard for us
to be faithful. (Read his entire discussion
Shrinking from Temptation
)
Believer's Study Bible
explains that ...
This is a request for the
intervention of God in life's moments of trial and temptation in such a
manner that the "way of escape" is made clear (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13). The
petition gives full recognition to the incredible deception and power of
temptation and affirms that deliverance from the grasp of evil can come
only from the Lord. (Criswell,
W A. Believer's Study Bible: New King James Version. 1991. Thomas Nelson)
The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study
writes that...
Acknowledging their weakness,
disciples must seek God's aid in escaping temptation (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13). (Bock,
Darrell L, Editor: The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study: The
Gospels Cook Communications)
Spurgeon writes that...
The man who is really forgiven, is
anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an
anxious desire for sanctification. “Forgive us our debts,” that is
justification; “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,”
that is sanctification in
its negative and positive forms.
Do not lead (1533)
(eisphero from eis = into + phéro = to bring, bear)
bring into or lead into.
The verb eisphero is in the
aorist tense
which speaks of an effective action at some point in time. The
active voice
indicates the subject, in this case
God, brings about the action, i.e., He either does or does not bring us
into temptation. Finally the
subjunctive mood
is the mood of probability which
speaks of an action that may or should happen, but which is not
necessarily true at present. Now after all the fancy Greek we can
rephrase and paraphrase what Jesus tells us to pray...
"Father I ask you not to bring
us into temptation at any
point in time"
The Net Bible comment note
says...
The request "do not lead us into
temptation" is not to suggest God causes temptation, but is a rhetorical
way to ask for His protection from sin. (The
NET Bible; Bible. Biblical Studies Press)
Temptation
(3986)
(peirasmos
from peirázo = to make trial of, try, tempt, prove in
either a good or bad sense)
(Click
for in depth study of
peirasmos)
is a difficult word to understand for most modern believers because when
we hear temptation we think of an inducement to do evil.
However in the Greek, peirasmos is a morally neutral word
which simply describes putting one to the test and then
refers to the actual tests. come in order to discover a person’s
nature or the quality of some thing. Think of yourself as a tube of
"spiritual toothpaste". Pressure (tests ~ temptations) simply bring out
what's really on the inside (your character)! Peirasmos then connotes trouble or
something that breaks into your peace, comfort, joy, happiness, etc.
Trials/temptations are like a "moral crossroads" if you will. Since a
believer now has a new heart and God's Spirit, he or she can make a
choice as to how they respond to the test/temptation. A test/temptation
faced in a way that seeks to please our Father is a harmless test and is actually beneficial to the saint as James 1:2,
12 below explains.
However, the same test wrongly met becomes a temptation to evil as
explained below.
J R Miller explains that...
It will help us to understand the
spirit of the prayer to remember that the word “temptation” does
not mean primarily to allure to sin. To tempt is to try, to test, to
prove. New ships are proved before they are entrusted with lives or
treasure upon the sea. Anchors are tested before they are allowed to
become the only hope of a vessel in the peril of a storm. God proved
Abraham, putting his faith and obedience to the test. After the trial
the angel said to him, “Now I know that thou fearest God.” Abraham had
stood the test. Jesus was tempted before he began his public ministry,
that he might be a proved deliverer.
The temptations to which
we are exposed continually are primarily provings, testings, to see
whether we will be true to God or not. Indeed there is no experience
that we meet in life which is not in a sense a testing. Every moment we
are required to make a choice, and our choices prove us. Here is a duty;
shall we do it or not? Here is a call to service; shall we accept it, or
decline it? Here is an impulse to something worthy; shall we yield to
it, or repress it? We have money; shall we use it for God, or shall we
clutch it for ourself? Sickness tries us; shall we bear it patiently,
and take from it the gifts of God it brings us, or shall we chafe and
repine, and leave our sick-room harmed by the experience?
Even sweet and pure human love tests us; many are held back by it from
self-sacrificing duty. Thus Peter, in love for his Lord, sought to keep
him from going to his cross. “Get thee behind me, Satan” was our Lord’s
answer. Many others in the warmth and tenderness of their affection,
have become the tempters of their friends, and ofttimes have kept them
back from costly duties or perilous service to which God had called
them.
Thus testing always implies the
possibility of failure. There is no experience in which we may not sin.
There is a wrong alternative in every call to that which is right.
Instead of doing the duty, we may neglect it. Instead of making the
self-denial or sacrifice, we may decline it. Instead of resisting the
sin, we may yield to it. Temptation always brings an opportunity to
overcome, to grow stronger. But if we fail to use the opportunity we
sin. (Read Miller's entire discussion
Shrinking from Temptation)
Vincent adds that in regard
to the meaning of peirasmos it
is a mistake to define this word as
only solicitation to evil. It means trial of any kind, without reference
to its moral quality.
Peirasmos thus can be translated
as tests, trials or temptations, the
context
determining whether the intended purpose is for good (tests, trials) or evil
(temptations). As discussed below in James 1, God will send "trials"
but they are never intended to lead us into evil. God however will allow
Satan to send "temptations" and his are always intended to lead
us into evil. In his first chapter, James uses peirasmos or the
verb peirazo (the root word from which peirasmos is derived) four
times illustrating the importance of
context
in accurate
interpretation.
Illustration #1:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials
(peirasmos), knowing that the testing of your faith produces
endurance." (James 1:2-3)
Illustration #2:
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial (peirasmos); for once
he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord
has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)
Illustration #3:
Let no one say when he is tempted (peirazo), "I am being
tempted (peirazo) by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He
Himself does not tempt (peirazo) anyone. But each one is
tempted (peirazo) when he is carried away and enticed by his own
lust. (James 1:13-14)
To summarize
James 1:2,12 -
context
indicates trials that are to bring out the best in
us
James 1:13-14
-
context
refers to trials meant to tempt us and bring out the
worst in us
One other point to emphasize
is that even though God does not tempt us to evil, He does test us
and/or allow us to be tested to bring out the best. Our problem is that
because of the weakness of our flesh, especially the residual, latent "old
man" (the "flesh",
the residual of the Sin nature we all inherited from Adam), we refuse to
submit to the control of our inner Guide and source of power, the Holy
Spirit, and we make the willful (fleshly)
choice to not consider the test as all joy and we sin (evil instead of
good). And so Jesus instructs kingdom citizens to pray...
"Do not lead or bring
us into testing but deliver us from evil (the evil - which could mean
Satan)"
So one meaning of our prayer is
for God not to "lead us into temptation" or "Lord, please don't lead me
into a test".
If a believer in the power of the Spirit (led by,
controlled by the Spirit), he or she successfully endures that trial
(and we call it just that -- a "trial" and not a "temptation"). On the
other hand, if a believer, doubts God's goodness and listens to the old
flesh nature,
giving one's self over to its power and disobeying God, that trial has
led to sin. God allows "peirasmos" into our life not to make us sin but
to make us more like the Savior. Not so with Satan as his encounter with
our Lord illustrates.
John MacArthur explains
this petition "do not lead us into temptation" writing...
I affirm with Chrysostom, the early
church Father, that the solution to this issue is that Jesus is here not
speaking of logic or theology but of a heart desire and inclination
that cause a believer to want to avoid the danger and trouble sin
creates. It is the expression of the redeemed soul that so despises
and fears sin that it wants to escape all prospects of falling into it,
choosing to avoid rather than having to defeat temptation. Here is
another paradox of Scripture. We know that trials are a means for our
growing spiritually, morally, and emotionally. Yet we have no desire
to be in a place where even the possibility of sin is increased.
Even Jesus, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, first asked,
“My Father, if it is possible, let
this cup pass from Me,” before He said, “yet not as I will, but as
Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39).
He was horrified at the prospect of
taking sin upon Himself, yet He was willing to endure it in order to
fulfill the will of His Father to make possible the redemption of man.
Our proper reaction to times of temptation is similar to Christ’s, but
for us it is primarily a matter of self-distrust. When
we honestly look at the power of sin and at our own weakness and sinful
propensities, we shudder at the danger of temptation or even trial.
This petition is another plea for God to provide what we in ourselves do
not have. It is an appeal to God to place a watch over our eyes, our
ears, our mouth, our feet, and our hands-that in whatever we see, hear,
or say, and in any place we go and in anything we do, He will protect us
from sin...
This petition is a safeguard against
presumption and a false sense of security and self-sufficiency. We know
that we will never have arrived spiritually, and that we will never be
free of the danger of sin, until we are with the Lord. With Martin
Luther we say, “We cannot help being exposed to the assaults, but we
pray that we may not fall and perish under them.” As our dear Lord
prayed for us in His great intercessory prayer, we want, at all costs,
to be kept from the evil one (John 17:15).(MacArthur, J:
Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary
Chicago: Moody Press)
(Bolding added)
Paul used peirasmos twice
in his marvelous words of encouragement to the Corinthians and in
principle to all believers that
"No temptation (peirasmos -
test or trial regardless of how or where it comes or where it leads) has
overtaken (assailed, seized and laid hold on) you but such as is common
to man (such as men under divine aid may be able to resist and repel);
and God is faithful (you can trust Him, secure in Who He is), Who will
not allow (He is sovereign and in total control - we are not the mere
victims of circumstances) you to be tempted (peirázō - tried or
tested) beyond what you are able (No trial or temptation is inherently
stronger than our spiritual resources. People sin because they willingly
sin), but with the temptation (peirasmos) will (always)
provide
the (specific, one and only) way of escape (we escape not by getting out
of it but by passing through it. God does not take us out; He sees us
through by making us able to endure it) also ("the way out" is always
there right along with the test or temptation), that you may be able to
endure it (bear up under it patiently)." (1Cor
10:13)
So the believer prays to be kept
from overwhelming solicitation to sin, and if he falls into it, to be
rescued from it. Deliver
is actually in the form of a command.
Peter reminds us that just
as God rescued righteous Lot from Sodom,
"the Lord knows how to rescue the
godly from temptation (trial - peirasmos), and to keep the
unrighteous under punishment for the day
of
judgment." (see note
2 Peter 2:9)
Ray Stedman writes
that...
The third area of prayer is in the
realm of the spirit, "Lead us not into temptation." Again, the vital
thing is touched. In the unseen war of the spirit, the greatest needs of
our life are deliverance and protection. But an immediate problem arises
here, for Scripture reveals that temptation is necessary to us and no
one escapes it in the Christian life. Furthermore, though God himself
never tempts us to sin, yet he does test us with difficult and
discouraging circumstances and these things become the instruments of
God to strengthen us, to build us up and thus to give us victory. When
we read this prayer, then we are confronted with this question:
"Are we really expected to pray
that God will not do what He must do to accomplish His work within us?"
After all, even Jesus, we are told,
was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
What then does he mean, "lead us not into temptation"?
I confess I have puzzled and prayed and read about this, and I am
convinced that what he means here is that this is a prayer to be kept
from unrecognized temptation. When temptation is recognized as such,
it can be resisted, and when we resist, it is always a source of
strength and growth in our life. If I am filling out my income tax and I
find that some income has come to me through other than ordinary
channels and there is no way of anyone checking it, I am confronted with
a temptation to omit it, but I know it is wrong. No one has to tell me;
I know it is wrong. When I resist that, I find I am stronger the next
time when a larger amount is involved. You see, when we recognize lust
as lust and hate as hate and cowardice as a temptation to be a coward,
this is one thing. It is a rather simple matter to resist obvious evil,
if we really mean to walk with God. But temptation is not always so
simple. There are times when I think I am right, and with utmost
sincerity and integrity of heart I do what I believe is the right thing,
and, later, look back upon it and see that I was tragically and horribly
wrong. Now that is what he is talking about here.
Peter is an example on this. In the Upper Room, with brashness and
confidence and utter naivete, Peter said to the Lord, "Though others
forsake you, I will never forsake you," (Matthew 26:33). They walked out
of the Upper Room with the words of our Lord ringing in his ears,
"Peter, before this night is over, before the cock crows in the morning
you will have denied me three times," Matthew 26:34). Still confident,
Peter went into the Garden of Gethsemane, and when the soldiers came he
had a sword ready, and struck off the ear of the High Priest's servant
in his eagerness to show his faithfulness to the Lord. Jesus had said to
him there in the Garden,
"Peter, watch and pray, that you
enter not into temptation," (Matthew 25:41).
But Peter did not heed that word.
Instead he slept, and our Lord came and woke him again and asked him to
pray, not for the Lord, but for himself, Peter. But Peter did not pray,
and when he came into the court of the High Priest and was standing
before the fire, Satan took him and wrung his courage out like a dish
rag and hung him up limp, to dry in the presence of a little girl.
There, with cursing and swearing, he found himself trapped, and denied
his Lord, and in the awful realization of what he had done he went out
into the blackness of the night and wept bitterly.
This is what our Lord refers to in this phrase. This prayer is the
recognition of our foolish weakness and our tendency to stumble on into
blind folly. It is what we desperately need to pray... All three of
these requests reflect the one great truth that Jesus labors to impress
upon us, that we are forever in need -- body, soul, and spirit. Only as
we walk, step by step, in a continual sense of dependence upon a living
God can any of this need ever be adequately met. When we fail to pray
this simple, childlike prayer out of our hearts, expressing it in
whatever words we choose, we are simply exposing ourselves to
unnecessary disturbance, upset and failure. (See the full message
Talking to My Father)
Yield Not to Temptation
by Hortatio Palmer
Yield not to temptations for yielding
is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus—He’ll carry you through.
Shun evil companions, bad language
disdain;
God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kind-hearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus—He’ll carry you through.
To him that o’er-cometh God giveth a
crown;
Thru faith we will conquer tho often cast down
He who is our Savior our strength will renew
Look ever to Jesus—He’ll carry you through.
Chorus:
Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you—He will carry you through.
BUT
DELIVER
US FROM EVIL:
alla rhusai (2SAMM) hemas apo tou ponerou:
(1 Chronicles
4:10;
Psalms 121:7,8;
Jeremiah 15:21;
John 17:15;
Galatians 1:4;
1 Thessalonians 1:10;
2 Timothy 4:17,18;
Hebrews 2:14,15;
1 John 3:8;
5:18,19;
Revelation 7:14-17;
21:4)
Literally "deliver us ourselves away
from the evil (one)"
J C Ryle explains that in the
last section of this sixth index sentence
We are taught to ask God to
deliver us from the evil that is in the world, the evil that is within
our own hearts, and not least from the
evil one, the devil. We confess that, so long as we are in the body, we
are constantly seeing, hearing and feeling the presence of evil. It is
about us, and within us, and around us on every side. We entreat him who
alone can preserve us, to be continually delivering us from its power
(John 17:15).
Deliver (4506)
(rhuomai
from rhúo = to draw, drag along the ground) (Click
in depth study of
rhuomai)
means to draw or snatch to oneself and invariably refers to a snatching
from danger, evil or an enemy. This basic idea of rescuing from danger
is pictured by the use describing a soldier’s going to a wounded comrade
on the battlefield and carrying him to safety (he runs to the cry of his
comrade to rescue him from the hands of the enemy).
Rhuomai emphasizes greatness
of peril from which deliverance is given by a mighty act of power.
Deliver is in the
aorist imperative
which is a call (command) for urgent,
effective action. That children of God can approach His throne boldly
with verbs in the form of commands is absolutely amazing grace!
Evil
(4190)
(poneros from ponos = labor, sorrow, pain) describes evil
in active opposition to good and that which corrupts others. It means actively
harmful, hurtful, evil in effect or influence. In the present verse the
definite article "tou" ("the" in Greek) precedes poneros which literally
would be translated "the evil", the specific evil, which in turn is felt
by many expositors to be synonymous with Satan, the essence of evil. And
thus many of the Bible versions will render it "the evil one"
(Amplified) or "the
Evil One" ("the Pernicious One", Wuest). (See related
study of
diabolos)
INDEX
SENTENCE:
NUMBER SEVEN
[FOR YOURS IS
THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER. AMEN.]: [hoti sου estin
e basileia kan e dunamis kai e doxa eis thous aionas amen]:
(Mt
6:10;
Exodus 15:18;
1 Chronicles 29:11;
Psalms 10:16;
47:2,7;
145:10-13;
Daniel 4:25,34,35;
7:18;
1 Timothy 1:17;
6:15-17;
Revelation 5:13;
19:1)
(28:20;
Numbers 5:22;
Deuteronomy 27:15-26;
1 Kings 1:36;
1 Chronicles 16:36;
Psalms 41:13;
72:19;
Psalms 89:52;
106:48;
Jeremiah 28:6;
1 Corinthians 14:16;
2 Corinthians 1:20;
Revelation 1:18;
3:14;
19:4)
J C Ryle explains and then
admonishes us writing that...
We declare in these words our
belief that the kingdoms of this world are the rightful property of our
Father; that to him alone belongs all “power”; and that he alone
deserves to receive all “glory.” And we conclude by offering to him
our hearts, giving him all honor and praise, and rejoicing that he is
King of kings, and Lord of lords.
And now let us examine ourselves
and see whether we really desire to have the things which we are taught
to ask for in the Lord’s Prayer. Thousands, it may be feared, repeat
these words daily as a form, but never consider what they are saying.
They care nothing for the “glory,” the “kingdom,” or the “will” of
God: they have no sense of dependence, sinfulness, weakness, or danger;
they have no love or charity towards their enemies. And yet they repeat
the Lord’s Prayer! These things ought not to be so. May we resolve that,
by God’s help, our hearts shall always go together with our lips! Happy
is the person who can really call God “Father” through Jesus Christ
the Saviour, and can therefore say a heartfelt “Amen” to all that the
Lord’s Prayer contains.
D A Carson has a succinct summary of
the problems found with this beautiful doxology writing that...
The doxology-"for yours is the
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"-is found in various
forms in many MSS (manuscripts) The diversity of what parts are attested
is itself suspicious (for full discussion, cf. Metzger, Textual
Commentary pp. 16-17; cf. Hendriksen, pp. 337f.); and the MS
(manuscript) evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of omission-a
point conceded by Davies (Setting, pp. 451-53), whose liturgical
arguments for inclusion are not convincing. The doxology itself, of
course, is theologically profound and contextually suitable and was no
doubt judged especially suitable by those who saw in the last three
petitions a veiled allusion to the Trinity: the Father's creation and
providence provides our bread, the Son's atonement gives cures our
forgiveness, and the Spirit's indwelling power assures our safety and
triumph. But "surely it is more important to know what the Bible really
contains and really means, than to cling to something not really in the
Bible, merely because it gratifies our taste, or even because it has for
us some precious associations" (Broadus). (Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
(Bolding added)
><> ><> ><>
A Kitten from Heaven -
A kitten belonging to a Romanian
pastor became stranded in a tree. To get it down, the pastor threw a
rope over the branch and tied it to his car's bumper. Driving slowly
forward, he pulled the branch down to within reach. Just then the rope
snapped and the frightened feline went flying through the air and was
nowhere to be found.
The next day the pastor met a neighbor. "You'll never believe what
happened yesterday!" she exclaimed. "My little girl had been begging for
a kitten, but I told her she could have one only if Jesus gave it to
her. So she ran outside, knelt down, and prayed, 'Jesus, please give me
a kitty of my very own to love and care for. Amen.' Just then a kitten
with paws outstretched fell right out of heaven!"
Whether or not this story is true, it makes the point that asking is
basic to prayer. Jesus taught His disciples to say, "Give us," "Forgive
us," "Deliver us" (Mt. 6:11-13). But our asking must always be based on
a desire to please God and to advance His purposes on earth
(vv.9-10,13). James said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask
amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (Jas. 4:3). That's why
we must learn about God from His Word. Then our asking will glorify Him.
--D J De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Pray on, then, child of God, pray
on;
This is your duty and your task.
To God the answering belongs;
Yours is the simpler part--to ask. --Chisholm
God always gives us what we ask--or
something better
><> ><> ><>
Contact With Another World -
A group of scientists are directing
their thoughts and needs into the heavens, but not to the God of the
Bible. They have calculated that as many as fifty million civilizations
may exist somewhere in space, and they believe that some of them may
have found methods to improve our lives and control the time of death.
In November, 1974, these scientists, using special technology, beamed a
message to a cluster of stars on the outer edge of our galaxy. But even
if that signal were picked up, they estimate that it would take
forty-eight thousand years for an answer to come back.
To Christians, these efforts seem ridiculous and destined to failure.
Yet those scientists are serious about their efforts, while we, who do
have contact with "another world," sometimes act as if our prayers are
not heard. Every child of God has the opportunity to get in touch, not
with other creatures, but with the Creator Himself! We have immediate
access through prayer to the One who stretched out all the galaxies in
the heavens. He hears us the instant we pray and answers according to
His will. Through the wonderful privilege of prayer, every Christian can
come to One who is all-powerful, who listens in heaven, and who can and
does change the affairs of people.
In light of our relationship to Him, we can send our messages to heaven
with renewed confidence, because we know personally our God-listener.
—M. R. De Haan II (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
When we bend our knees to pray,
God bends His ear to listen.
><> ><> ><>
The Anaconda - Lorrie
Anderson, missionary to the head-shrinking Candoshi Shapra Indians of
Peru, was looking for a quiet place for her daily time of Bible reading
and prayer, so she went down by the edge of the river. After reading the
Bible, she took up her prayer list. Eyes closed, she did not see the
deadly anaconda weaving through the water until it struck, burying its
fangs into her flesh. It withdrew to strike, hitting her arm again and
again as it held her, screaming, in its coils. It reared up for the
death blows. Then suddenly the giant snake, never known to release its
prey, relaxed its grip and slithered off through the water. While Lorrie
was being treated, a witch doctor from a nearby village burst into the
hut and stared at her. She couldn’t believe Lorrie had survived. She
said her son-in-law, also a witch doctor, had chanted to the spirit of
the anaconda that morning and sent it to kill the young missionary. “I’m
certain,” Lorrie said, “that except for the protection of God, it would
have worked.”
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