“DELIVER US FROM EVIL”
by Erwin Bourne—March 9, 2002
One of AMA’s maintenance men left early on a cycle to
work about six miles out of Leticia. “Libranos del
mal” (Deliver us from evil) was my usual prayer as I
said “Adios.” Actually, the correct translation of
this phrase from the Lord’s prayer is …deliver us
from the evil one. This is “evil” personified.
Immediately we think of the devil. Notice I Peter 5:8
(NIV): Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour.
Just yesterday in our early devotions I prayed
“Deliver us from evil” for the men cutting lumber out
in the rain-forest for church building, This morning
I learned of a native pastor’s wife being bitten by a
very small snake as she walked a jungle path near a
village where we have built a church. After praying
for her, she was rushed from the jungles to the
Leticia hospital for treatment. The killed snake was
shown to the physician. He exclaimed, “She should be
dead by now!”
Just the other day I received an e-mail notice of a
life-time acquaintance who was medi-vaced to the U.S.
from Guatemala. His leg had turned black from the
bite of a spider or snake. We recently received
another e-mail from the U.S. written by a man whose
wife had mis-stepped in the garage and broke her right
ankle, sprained her left ankle and injured her knee.
I asked Jean, my wife, to read this e-mail very
carefully. With both artificial hips, she could have
a bad fall with serious consequential damage, and both
of us would need to be flown out to the states. “O
Lord, Deliver us from evil.”
There’s an old Negro spiritual that says:
“Satan like a snake crawl in de grass,
Always hidin’ in dem Christians’ path.
Satan is a liar and a co’jure too;
If you don’t watch out, he’ll co’jure you.
Be self-controlled and alert. It is not just a
corporal jungle creature that lies wait for you. II
Cor. 2:12 NIV reads: …so that Satan will not outwit
us. for we are not unaware of his schemes II Cor.
2:12 NIV).
Yours for OUTREACH AMAZON
—Erwin and Jean Bourne